Students sent home for wearing American flags

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

This is bloody ridiculous and disrespectful to the US flag. I hope that the vice principle loses his job.

Five LOHS students sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts

1:19 PM

By Lindsay Bryant

Live Oak High School students from left, Daniel Galli, Austin Carvalho, Matt Dariano and Dominic Maciel were sent home from school Wednesday because they were wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.

Photo by: Lora Schraft

Freshman Laura Ponce shows off her Mexican pride as she wears a Mexican flag over her shoulders and wears facepaint Wednesday as she waits for school to get out at Live Oak.

Photo by: Lora Schraft

Five Live Oak High School students' First Amendment rights were challenged this morning when they were asked to leave school because they donned American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Officials at the school chose not to comment on the situation, but one student said an official called the T-shirts "incendiary."

"They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire," said sophomore Matt Dariano.

The Morgan Hill Unified School District issued this statement: "In an attempt to foster a spirit of cultural awareness and maintain a safe and supportive school environment, the Live Oak High School administration took certain actions earlier today. The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions."

The five teens were sitting at a table outside during their brunch break about 10:10 a.m. when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two boys to take off their American flag bandannas. The boys said they complied. In the same conversation, sophomore Dominic Maciel said, Rodriguez told the group to "walk with him to the office."

Dariano called his mother Diana, who spread the word to the other parents, who all arrived soon after to have a conference with Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden. The group said they were not instigating anything and did what they always do at break - sit and talk and eat.

The boys were told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home - and that it would not be considered a suspension - but that Rodriguez did not want any fights to break out among Mexican-American students and those wearing American flags. Dariano said other students were wearing American flags but since they were a group of five "we were the easiest target to cause trouble" according to Rodriguez, he said.

The boys told Rodriguez and Boden that turning their T-shirts inside-out was disrespectful, so their parents opted to take them home.

"I just couldn't believe it," said Dominic's mother Julie Fagerstrom. "I'm an open-minded parent, but it's got to be on both sides. It Robert Airoldi 5/5/10 can't can be five kids singled out."

A front-desk secretary said Boden was unavailable for any comment on what had happened Wednesday and Rodriguez was busy with testing, the secrectary said.

More than 100 students were spotted wearing red, white and green as they were leaving school. Some had the Mexican flag painted on their faces or on their arms.

Nothing in Live Oak's dress code policy addresses what transpired Wednesday, but it does state that "the school has the right to request that any student dressing inappropriately for school will change into other clothes, be sent home to change, and/or be subject to disciplinary action."

One Mexican-American student, freshman Laura Ponce, had a Mexican flag painted on her face and chest, peaking out of her low-cut shirt. She did it because, "it's our day, the only day we can show our spirit." A school administrator took away the Mexican flag she was carrying as she was waiting to go home. Ponce said: "not cool."

"There was a lot of drama going on today," Ponce said. Some were saying "Mexico sucks" while Mexican-American students responded in their second language.

"Some were yelling Spanish to us," Maciel said, who is half-Hispanic. "I couldn't understand it, but it sounded bad."

Some Mexican-American students said that their flags were taken away or asked to be put away, but none were sent home for wearing red, white and green. Since Boden would not comment, it's uncertain if any other students were sent home for what they were wearing on Cinco de Mayo.

Live Oak High School even hosted a group of professional baile folklorico dancers, who waved flags and played traditional music from Mexico.

"It's sad it's come to this," Fagerstrom said. "But we stand behind their patriotic nature and the boys expressing their individuality."

The boys wrote a two-paragraph statement that they each signed detailing their support for American patriotism and that they felt disrespected and discriminated against when their First Amendment rights were discarded Wednesday at school.

"We were not going to start a fight. We wanted to show our pride," Dariano said.

http://www.morganhilltimes.com/news/265402-five-lohs-students-sent-home-for-wearing-american-flag-t-shirts

[Heracles 417]

This cartoon sums this up as well.

[Ban Hammer 14,292]

to treat all equally, no flags should be worn by any students.

Edited May 6, 2010 by charles!

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

to treat all equally, no flags should be worn by any students.

What are you, some kind of liberal? :bonk: :bonk: If the student did this as a deliberate act (???) as a provocation and flaunted it (????) then that could be (???) one thing. But why is it wrong to display Old Glory? Cinco de Mayo is a pseudo-Mexican (Chicano) holiday. It's not as big a celebration in Mexico as it is in the US.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

All 5 students happened to wear clothing with the same imagery on it, on the same day. Sounds deliberate to me.

[Ban Hammer 14,292]

What are you, some kind of liberal? :bonk: :bonk: If the student did this as a deliberate act (???) as a provocation and flaunted it (????) then that could be (???) one thing. But why is it wrong to display Old Glory? Cinco de Mayo is a pseudo-Mexican (Chicano) holiday. It's not as big a celebration in Mexico as it is in the US.

yet it's ok for the kids to wear the mexican flag?

[Ban Hammer 14,292]

All 5 students happened to wear clothing with the same imagery on it, on the same day. Sounds deliberate to me.

there's deliberate for you.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

yet it's ok for the kids to wear the mexican flag?

Perhaps there have been no prior issues at the school with regards to Cinco De Mayo celebrations. Perhaps the policy will be reviewed after this incident. That doesn't mean the principal wasn't right to head off a possible situation that he saw was provocative and could lead to a violent confrontation.

Schools aren't perfect.

Edited May 6, 2010 by Its a MADHOUSE

[Ban Hammer 14,292]

maybe there was. maybe there wasn't. and yes, schools aren't perfect - but it does not take a rocket scientist to see trouble brewing with allowing national flags worn as part of one's clothing.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

maybe there was. maybe there wasn't. and yes, schools aren't perfect - but it does not take a rocket scientist to see trouble brewing with allowing national flags worn as part of one's clothing.

Sure, I agree.

Incidentally, public schools in Europe require students to wear standardised school uniforms - in part to head off these sorts of situations. Why does the US not do this?

Edited May 6, 2010 by Its a MADHOUSE

[Pooky 3,876]

Sure, I agree.

Incidentally, public schools in Europe require students to wear standardised school uniforms - in part to head off these sorts of situations. Why does the US not do this?

Ask the ACLU - it's probably an infringement of their civil liberties.

[Ban Hammer 14,292]

Sure, I agree.

Incidentally, public schools in Europe require students to wear standardised school uniforms - in part to head off these sorts of situations. Why does the US not do this?

i don't have an answer, but i think it's a good idea.

[justashooter 430]

so the school VP was named rodriguez?

[Nagishkaw 510]

I remember back in like 1972 it was rather fashionable to wear shirts that looked like they were made from the US flag, and not only that but the UK flag, too. The school I attended at that time never raised a stink about it and lots of kids wore them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyAMzKDfftU

[Peikko 1,575]

A school uniform would solve these sorts of difficulties.

I am not really that familiar with the origins of Cinqo de mayo, is it a sort of Mexican version of St Patrick's day?