(Matthew Doarnberger, Headline USA) An Indiana high school reversed its stunning demand that a student remove an American flag that it had previously tried to ban WCPO reported.
Cameron Blasek, a 17-year-old student at East Central High School in Dearborn County, was pulled aside by his counselor and vice principal last week and told to remove the flag attached to his pickup truck because it was a violation of school rules.
The reasoning of the school’s administration was that it could lead to other student’s flying flags “that are seen as offensive,” Blasek said.
“Honestly, I was shocked,” he said.
“I read through the … handbook, and the word ‘flag’ wasn’t even mentioned in the parking lot or driving section,” he added. “The only section it’s mentioned in is the flag-twirling section.”
Despite the call for him to remove the flag, Blasek refused to comply with the school’s demands. Upon learning of his situation, many other students showed up to the school with American flags on their vehicles the following day.
“There was a huge support group there that believed and stood for the same thing that I did,” Blasek said. “I was kind of shocked by that.”
A viral video posted over the weekend caught the attention of several conservative media influencers, including Libs of TikTok. The version posted by the site @EndWokeness had garnered more than 8.6 million views as of Monday evening.
As a result of the backlash and the attention that it received, the school’s administration has since reversed course.
“I am pleased to inform you that we are allowing the display of the U.S. flag by students in the parking lot,” Principal Tom Black wrote in a letter to parents. “No high school staff member or administrators stated or insinuated that the U.S. Flag was offensive, nor has there ever been a complaint received about the U.S. Flag.”
Black noted that the flag “is displayed in the front of our school and in every classroom,” any offense taken by the school toward that same flag on a vehicle would seem unusual.
Similar situations have arisen in the recent past involving overzealous administrators who seem unaware of the fact that student free-speech rights apply in many circumstances except for those narrowly considered to be disruptions to the learning environment.
In Colorado last August, 12-year-old student Jaiden Rodriguez was punished for refusing to remove a Gadsden flag patch from his bookbag until video of the meeting between his him and mother with school administrators went viral, turning Jaiden into an instant celebrity.
