UPDATE Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees

[Hazcat]

Freedom of expression or cultural disrespect on Cinco de Mayo?

By GEORGE KIRIYAMA

Updated 6:26 AM PDT, Thu, May 6, 2010

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 released a statement saying it does not agree with how Live Oak High School administrators handled this incident.

The boys will not be suspended and they were told they can go back to school Thursday. They may even wear their red, white, and blue colors again, but this time, the day after Cinco de Mayo, there will be no controversy.  

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Students-Wearing-American-Flag-Shirts-Sent-Home-92945969.html

comments at link

[shooter32]

[ericire12]

Off course.... The American flag is racist







*Exit Question: What flag was the school flying on the pole out front?

[tombogan03884]

And all any one does about it is bitch.

[Solus]

The administrator showed his opinion of Mexican Americans and more disrespect for them with his statment

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

than the boys did by wearing their countries flag. 

[Sponsor]

[ericire12]

UPDATE: Contact info.....

Live Oak School
Switchboard (408) 201-6100
Fax (408) 776-9097
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/LOacorns?v=wall

P Nick Boden / Principal
Email: Nick.Boden@mhu.k12.ca.us

Miguel Rodriguez / Assistant Principal
Email:Miguel.Rodriguez@mhu.k12.ca.us

[tt11758]

Two things I notice about this story:

1)  By not meeting with the boys and their parents until last NIGHT, the school system, which SAYS it doesn't agree with the Principal's action, gave it at the very least nodding approval by the timing of that meeting.  After all, the boys had, by that time, been deprived of the remainder of the school day.

2)  Is anybody else NOT surprised that this story comes from "The Granola State"?

[Rob10ring]

I came on to post about this, after a friend told me about it. This Principal needs to be fired! Keep filling his inbox.

I read it at the link below, which includes photo of another student wearing a actual Mexican flag! CRAP! If there is any incendiary statements being made, they are are by those who wish to wave Mexican flags in the United States (…where anyone should be able to wear the red, white and blue, or fly the flag).

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/news/265404-five-morgan-hill-students-sent-home-for-wearing-american-flag-t-shirts

[TAB]

Why do I have the feeling there is more to this story that is not being told.

[jnevis]

My post in the Politics Forum
It's not "culturally insensitive" but it IS improperly displaying the US flag per the Flag Code (US Code Section 1 Title 4)

Standards of respect
The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing, unless it is the ensign responding to a salute from a ship of a foreign nation. This tradition comes from the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, where countries were asked to dip their flag to King Edward VII: the American team flag bearer, Ralph Rose, refused in support of an Irish boycott over Great Britain's refusal to grant Irish independence, and teammate Martin Sheridan is often stated as famously proclaiming that "this flag dips to no earthly king."[1] This tradition was codified as early as the 1911 U.S. Army drill regulations.[2]

The flag should never be displayed with the union (the starred blue union) down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.[3]

The flag should not be used as "wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery",[1] or for covering a speaker's desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general (exception for coffins). Bunting of blue, white and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of the bunting should be on the top.

The flag should never be drawn back or bunched up in any way.

The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling.

The flag should never be used for any advertising purpose. It should not be embroidered, printed, or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use. Advertising signs should not be attached to the staff or halyard.   Another that irks me


The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, firefighters, police officers, and members of patriotic organizations.

Flag lapel pins may also be worn (they are considered replicas) and are worn near the heart.

The flag should never have placed on it, or attached to it, any mark, insignia, letter, word, number, figure, or drawing of any kind.

The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything. How many trash cans do you see with Stars and Stripes on them?  We have a bunch, and I'm on a military base!!

The flag should never be stepped on.

The flag should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle, railroad train, or boat.

When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms. To store the flag it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.

The flag should be cleaned and mended when necessary.

If the flag is being used at a public or private estate, it should not be hung (unless at half staff or when an all weather flag is displayed[4]) during rain or violent weather.

When a flag is so tattered that it can no longer serve as a symbol of the United States, it should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning. The American Legion, Boy Scouts of America[5], Girl Scouts of the USA[6] and other organizations regularly conduct dignified flag-burning ceremonies, often on Flag Day, June 14.

The flag should never touch anything beneath it. Contrary to an urban legend, the flag code does not state that a flag that touches the ground should be burned. Instead, the flag should be moved so it is not touching the ground.[7]

The flag should always be permitted to fall freely (This was not the case during the Apollo 11 moon landing when the US flag was reinforced by a horizontal bar at the top to allow full display even in absence of an atmosphere and the resulting lack of wind activity.)


Yes, the school's adminstrator is an idiot.  The kids complaining can go back to Mexico if they are so proud of it.  That's why we have these problems in this country, no one celebrates being an AMERICAN, its always hyphenated.  African-American, Mexican-American ect history month, please.