Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

Yes, it's a copy and paste. It irritates me too much to talk about it right now.

Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

By George Kiriyama
NBCBayArea.com

On any other day at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Daniel Galli and his four friends would not even be noticed for wearing T-shirts with the American flag. But Cinco de Mayo is not any typical day especially on a campus with a large Mexican American student population.

Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.

"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."

The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.

"They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.

The boys really had no choice, and went home to avoid suspension. They say they're angry they were not allowed to express their American pride. Their parents are just as upset, calling what happened to their children, "total nonsense."

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Julie Fagerstrom, Maciel's mom, said. "All they were doing was displaying their patriotic nature. They're expressing their individuality."

But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.

"I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July."

As for an apology, the boys and their families say, 'fat chance.'

"I'm not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong," Galli said. "I went along with my normal day. I might have worn an American flag, but I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American."

The five boys and their families met with a Morgan Hill Unified School District official Wednesday night. The district and the school do not see eye-to-eye on the incident and released the following statement:

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 boys will not be suspended and were allowed to return to school Thursday. We spotted one of them when he got to campus -- and, yes, he was sporting an American flag T-shirt.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36981179?GT1=43001

I think the sad part of this situation is that it’s an opportunity to educate the kids that was thrown away in favor of a sad attempt to be politically correct. This could have been used to teach these kids about tolerance. Not just tolerance of the Mexican people and there holiday, but tolerance of the kids who chose to wear the American flag. And tolerance of all U.S. citizens and their heritage.

It could have been a wonderful lesson about freedom of speech and expression, and how it pertains to everyone. Not just the particular group that happens to be the flavor of the day. But it’s been wasted in order to paint these U.S. flag wearing kids as racists and trouble makers. Let’s be honest. How many of us weren’t trouble makers at that age? These kids that wore those tee shirts and bandanas have every right to be as proud of their heritage as the others have a right to be proud of theirs.

Perhaps if the school officials had taken the time to use this opportunity, the kids might not be so quick to fight each other over something as stupid as this later in life. In fact, it might give cause for each side to learn about the other’s culture and heritage.

That said, let's all go to Mexico and start popping off fireworks and waving the U.S. Flag in celebration of the 4th of July this year just to see what happens.

That’s just my opinion. I’ll quit preaching for awhile now.

C.Hound wrote:I think the sad part of this situation is that it’s an opportunity to educate the kids that was thrown away in favor of a sad attempt to be politically correct. This could have been used to teach these kids about tolerance. Not just tolerance of the Mexican people and there holiday, but tolerance of the kids who chose to wear the American flag. And tolerance of all U.S. citizens and their heritage.

It could have been a wonderful lesson about freedom of speech and expression, and how it pertains to everyone. Not just the particular group that happens to be the flavor of the day. But it’s been wasted in order to paint these U.S. flag wearing kids as racists and trouble makers. Let’s be honest. How many of us weren’t trouble makers at that age? These kids that wore those tee shirts and bandanas have every right to be as proud of their heritage as the others have a right to be proud of theirs.

Perhaps if the school officials had taken the time to use this opportunity, the kids might not be so quick to fight each other over something as stupid as this later in life. In fact, it might give cause for each side to learn about the other’s culture and heritage.

That said, let's all go to Mexico and start popping off fireworks and waving the U.S. Flag in celebration of the 4th of July this year just to see what happens.

That’s just my opinion. I’ll quit preaching for awhile now.

Excellent post Dawg. I agree.

Thank you OT.

OT wrote:

C.Hound wrote:I think the sad part of this situation is that it’s an opportunity to educate the kids that was thrown away in favor of a sad attempt to be politically correct. This could have been used to teach these kids about tolerance. Not just tolerance of the Mexican people and there holiday, but tolerance of the kids who chose to wear the American flag. And tolerance of all U.S. citizens and their heritage.

It could have been a wonderful lesson about freedom of speech and expression, and how it pertains to everyone. Not just the particular group that happens to be the flavor of the day. But it’s been wasted in order to paint these U.S. flag wearing kids as racists and trouble makers. Let’s be honest. How many of us weren’t trouble makers at that age? These kids that wore those tee shirts and bandanas have every right to be as proud of their heritage as the others have a right to be proud of theirs.

Perhaps if the school officials had taken the time to use this opportunity, the kids might not be so quick to fight each other over something as stupid as this later in life. In fact, it might give cause for each side to learn about the other’s culture and heritage.

That said, let's all go to Mexico and start popping off fireworks and waving the U.S. Flag in celebration of the 4th of July this year just to see what happens.

That’s just my opinion. I’ll quit preaching for awhile now.

Excellent post Dawg. I agree.

I also agree with you CH.

Thank you.

I think that it's a bunch of bull-poo what the principle of that school asked of the students, and if they didn't comply they would be suspended. What a jack-ass that principle is.

The asst. principle who started the whole thing was named Miguel Rodriguez. Wonder if that had anything to do with it?

"The five teens were sitting at a table outside the school Wednesday morning when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two of them to remove their American flag bandannas, one of the boys' parents told FoxNews.com. The youths complied, but were asked to accompany Rodriguez to the principal's office."



http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/07/california-principal-apologizes-forbidding-flag-shirts-mexican-holiday/

somebody should take that man to school.