Posted on 11/12/2010 9:54:46 AM PST by fullchroma
Since when is honoring Veterans Day with the display of the American flag disruptive?
That's a question facing school officials at Denair (Calif.) Middle School who reportedly prohibited a 13-year-old student from attaching an American flag on the back of his bicycle.
According to a story by Monterey TV station KSBW, officials at the school near Modesto forced Cody Alicea to remove his flag because some other students complained.
School superintendent Edward Parraz told KSBW that students who didn’t like the flag might cause a disruption. Under the 1969 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, school officials can prohibit student expression if they can reasonably forecast that the speech or display will cause a substantial disruption.
But something is wrong with this Denair picture. The school administration apparently reasoned that because of some racial tension in the past stemming from Mexican flags displayed at school on Cinco de Mayo, it could ban the American flag. Yet other parts of the Tinker ruling should give officials pause before they engage in heavy-handed censorship. The Court proclaimed in Tinker: “But, in our system, undifferentiated fear or apprehension of disturbance is not enough to overcome the right to freedom of expression.”
Schools facing tensions over cultural differences can teach all students that disruptions over displays such as flags on bikes or backpacks will not be tolerated - rather than banning the expression.
Parraz was even quoted as saying that the "First Amendment is important," even as school officials proceed to ban Alicea's flag.
Let's hope this and other schools will show justifiable reasons before silencing student speech on the basis of "undifferentiated fear.”
Heh heh. My bitch-slap lesson in the U.S. Supreme Court Tinker-ruling and First Amendment via fax to Superintendent Parraz can't get through, either. They're getting the message.
AP still ignoring although the UK Daily Mail has covered it.
>> Like I said, I’m not complaining....
Shouldn’t that be prefaced with: “I’m no thread enforcer, but...”
Since when did we become a society where the majority have to bend to the will of the few so that the few won’t be “offended”? My copy of the Constitution has no such guarantee to not be offended.
so the school system told Cody to take off the flag because of potential racial & other problems. In short, it sounds like Cody was going to get beat up for flying his flag. Instead of defending Cody, the school system gave in to the bully’s demands....Nice (rolling eyes)
Nothing, nobody complained....
Thanks fullchroma.
School Reverses Course After Ordering Student to Remove American Flag From Bike
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2626397/posts
Furthermore the American flag should take precedence and never be banned.
All other flags get behind Old Glory. They are a DISTANT second.
Next year, I will be celebrating VM day on September 14th.
So the school is basically saying it’s ok to burn the American flag but not display it ....
This is a mystery to me; they should have rewarded him for flying a 50 star “Union” flag. Many people wouldn’t, because most Americans (of any race, party affiliation, or creed) were probably better off when it had 48 stars...Fly a Revolutionary War flag!
This story, as well as ALL the other true events real Americans are experiencing lately are, imo, incrementally reclaiming our wonderful America!
This young man proudly & courteously honored his country...
...what happened to him has gone nationwide, perhaps worldwide!
LET'S TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY!
Parents to school: go f88k yourself.
“Maybe now AP will condescend to cover the story”
Who cares. Why should they be seen as powerful?
People need to stop calling them ‘the’ AP too.
“LET’S TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY!”
I agree with you, but unfortunately the commissars of Public Information regard that sentiment (or any type of patriotism) as judgmental, intolerant, racist (even when race has no bearing on it), or whatever else they think will discredit your point of view in the public discourse.
he can fly it again
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/school-responds-boy-forced-to-remove-flag-for-his-own-safety/
Parents of citizen children should organize and keep their children out of school on ALL cinco di mayo days in the future. They can claim that the celebration by the mexicans is a threat to their children.
Me to Denair (Calif.) Middle School administrators: Get the F outta my country.
In America, yes so they should be.
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