Oklahoma Student Banned From Flying USA Flag On His Truck Gains Supporters
An Oklahoma high school is forbidding a student from having an American flag on his own truck because they believe that it could be ‘disruptive' to his classmates, and the town is not pleased.
Edmond North High School senior Caleb Horst says that last week school officials told him that he had to remove the USA flag from his vehicle while on school grounds, despite the senior saying that he had flown it before and never had an issue.
"I’ve never really had problems with it before, and it’s our First Amendment, so it’s kind of hard for them to infringe upon our rights," Horst told Oklahoma media outlet KOCO.
The school, however, feels differently.
NO AMERICAN FLAGS ALLOWED ON PERSONAL CARS
In a statement, Edmond North told KOCO that they have a no-flag policy that is, "designed to prevent disruptions and distractions" and is enforced to create a "safe school environment, as flying flags on vehicles creates safety issues."
As criticism began mounting, the school issued another statement as they attempted to clarify their flag position and make sure people knew they weren't specifically targeting the American flag. "To be clear, this is not about the American flag or patriotism. Edmond Public Schools proudly displays the American flag prominently and in the proper, respectful way outside each of our buildings and in our classrooms,"
The backtracking statement, however, made things even worse as many argued that if they are so proud of the American flag as they claim, then why wouldn't they make an exception for that in the school parking lot? If every student sees the flag throughout the school anyway, what's the big deal?
And in a show of great patriotism, the community responded by having a vehicle "sit-in" if you would - with over 50 vehicles taking over the high school's parking lot proudly waving the American flag. The ‘protest’ was peaceful and there were no incidents. In fact, at one point everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance. So much for the school's claim that the flag would be ‘divisive and disruptive.’
As a result of the backlash that the school is facing due to their asinine flag policy, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters said that he is working on new guidelines to "ensure no student is ever targeted for having an American flag." He also said that he will be contacting Edmond High School's administration to try and understand why they reacted the way they did in the first place.
A story like this should make all Americans proud - especially as we continue to face divisive times ahead of the upcoming Presidential election. Kudos to all those people that peacefully protested the school for not allowing the American flag to be displayed.