Kids Kicked out of School for Wearing American Flag Tshirts

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Not at all. But there is no need to speak to me that way. But I have taken note of it.

In any case--again, you are applying a definition to these students--but you weren't there. Even if it was hubris, they were within their rights as it seems that the "hubris" demonstrated by the other students may have indeed been over the top for the AP to be concerned that they would be disrespected by the actions of these students.

Why is one over the top and not the other--considering cinco de mayo has nothing to do with any conflict between Mexico and the US?

well, glad to hear you have "taken note" whatever that means. I wasn't attacking you or anything.

Anyway, I said IF the students, .....etc. I don't know they where, hence the "IF". Seems you are the one making assumptions - about the other side.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

well, glad to hear you have "taken note" whatever that means. I wasn't attacking you or anything.

Anyway, I said IF the students, .....etc. I don't know they where, hence the "IF". Seems you are the one making assumptions - about the other side.

I've learned lately that we have to be very very careful of how we say things around here. You slipped in a little insult to my intelligence, so that is what I took note of.

I'm making assumptions about noone.

"Hubris" is not part of the dress code as a reason to require the students to not wear that shirt on that one day of the year. Apparently the district agreed. No assumption is needed as to their intentions as they are totally irrelevant.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Sounds like Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez has been naughty according to the District Superintendent and faces 'appropriate action."

Update 4:24 p.m. Superintendent Wesley Smith released the following statement:

The Morgan Hill Unified School District does not prohibit nor do we discourage wearing patriotic clothing. The incident on May 5 at Live Oak High School is extremely unfortunate. While campus safety is our primary concern and administrators made decisions yesterday in an attempt to ensure campus safety, students should not, and will not, be disciplined for wearing patriotic clothing. This matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken.

 

[LoraJ]

No, it's more like Red Delicious and Granny Smith. Someone would wear a confederate flag shirt to a MLK Day rally to stir up trouble. Those boys wore the American flag shirts to their school on 5/5 to stir up trouble. Luckily, the principal was enough on the ball to step in before trouble found them.

Exactly!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Sounds like Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez has been naughty according to the District Superintendent and faces 'appropriate action."

Update 4:24 p.m. Superintendent Wesley Smith released the following statement:

The Morgan Hill Unified School District does not prohibit nor do we discourage wearing patriotic clothing. The incident on May 5 at Live Oak High School is extremely unfortunate. While campus safety is our primary concern and administrators made decisions yesterday in an attempt to ensure campus safety, students should not, and will not, be disciplined for wearing patriotic clothing. This matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken.

Excellent.

 

[DawnCt1]

Sounds like Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez has been naughty according to the District Superintendent and faces 'appropriate action."

Update 4:24 p.m. Superintendent Wesley Smith released the following statement:

The Morgan Hill Unified School District does not prohibit nor do we discourage wearing patriotic clothing. The incident on May 5 at Live Oak High School is extremely unfortunate. While campus safety is our primary concern and administrators made decisions yesterday in an attempt to ensure campus safety, students should not, and will not, be disciplined for wearing patriotic clothing. This matter is under investigation and appropriate action will be taken.

Sounds like the right decision. I wonder if the Supt. will decide that Mr. Rodriguez has proven the Peter Principal to be true; he has reached the level of his incompetence.

 

[Shelton123]

I don't get it. Are those that are celebrating Cinco de Mayo not American also? The outrage makes no sense.

Yes, of course they are, but the kids are trying to say, by wearing those shirts, that they aren't really American, and that we shouldn't recognize the holiday.

I think it's ridiculous not to call them American just because they weren't born in the US, Mexico is in North AMERICA. People from South AMERICA are American as well.

 

[crusoe2]

We do? I wasn't there, so no, I do not know this for certain.

Again, if the Mexican-Americans were truly celebrating their heritage, then they wouldn't have been offended by somebody wearing the flag of their country.

If they are truly offended (and I believe most Mexican-Americans wouldn't be), then the ones making an issue of it are the ones trying to start trouble. They are defiantly flaunting their heritage in other's faces and subtly saying that it is much better than the American Flag.

Exactly. I tried to raise this point earlier.

A previous poster mentioned that the school is 40% Mexican (not Mexican-American, mind you but I'll assume that's what was meant). If I understood the post correctly, their point was that the fact that such a large percentage of the student body is of Mexican descent MUST mean the boys wearing the flag shirts were trying to start trouble. Well, let's just flip that around. Isn't it possible that since 60% of the student body is not of Mexican descent that the students wearing Mexican flags and colors were the ones trying to start trouble? Isn't it just possible that some of them were taking an "in your face" attitude? Notice that I'm NOT accusing them of it - just saying that it's possible. It's amazing and sickening to me that so many of you seem so eager to assume the worst about fellow Americans for proudly wearing our flag and won't even entertain the notion that perhaps their actions were provoked or maybe even totally innocent.

For what it's worth, I think that the boys wearing the flag shirts probably were making a statement about the immigration law controversy in Arizona. But they were totally within their rights to do so as long as they didn't break any school rules or laws in the process. I think it's already been established that they broke no rules or dress code policies except the bandanas (which they removed with no argument). If these boys did perceive the Mexican-American students celebrating Cinco de Mayo as a sort of protest against the Arizona immigration law and the whole border/immigration issue, are they not allowed to respond to it in a peaceful manner? Do only the people defending minorities and foreigners have the right to free speech now? I must have missed that memo.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You think it would be right to wear the conferate flag on dr martin luther king day?

Well, since the Confederacy has been defunct and the flag meaningless for well over a century, and since there were black slaveowners (yes, really, in Africa) and since King wasn't fighting against slavery almost 100 years after it had ended but instead FOR EQUALITY... I don't see how this applies.

 

[DawnCt1]

Yes, IMO they are, but the kids are trying to say, by wearing those shirts, that they aren't really American, and that we shouldn't recognize the holiday.

Oddly enough, Mexico doesn't 'recognize' the "holiday". Businesses, schools and municipal services still function on May 5th. BTW, should they get sent home if they wear red and green on Dec 24th? Just wondering.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

So, according to Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez, wearing the Mexican Flag over your shoulders is absolutely ok:

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

yet showing American pride is a no-no?

No wonder Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez faces "appropriate actions"

Every child should be allowed to show pride in their heritage no matter what the day.

Personally, I think wearing the actual Mexican Flag over your shoulders is much more incendiary than a t-shirt with a screen printed American Flag, even on Cinco de Mayo.

 

[Scurvy]

re-read my post - I clearly said "IF their intent........."

My apologies. I somehow got the impression from your posts that you were assuming the worst of the boys who were wearing the American flag on their shirts. It did seem odd to me that anyone would assume the possibility of hubris being the motivating factor in someone's decision to wear a patriotic shirt. I do see that you clearly said "If", though. Obviously you do realize that it is entirley possible that they were not wearing the shirts as a display of hubris.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Yes, of course they are, but the kids are trying to say, by wearing those shirts, that they aren't really American, and that we shouldn't recognize the holiday.

I think it's ridiculous not to call them American just because they weren't born in the US, Mexico is in North AMERICA. People from South AMERICA are American as well.

They live in America. They are going to school in America.

How do you know what the kids wearing the American flag, "--were trying to say"? They were expressing pride in being American. That should be okay any day of the year in America. Any day of the year. There is more than one heritage to celebrate. One should not negate or usurp the other.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I've learned lately that we have to be very very careful of how we say things around here. You slipped in a little insult to my intelligence, so that is what I took note of.

I'm making assumptions about noone.

"Hubris" is not part of the dress code as a reason to require the students to not wear that shirt on that one day of the year. Apparently the district agreed. No assumption is needed as to their intentions as they are totally irrelevant.

not an insult to your intelligence.....it is "Sad" that some people choose to present hubris as pride..... it is sad that people (not you) choose to disrespect the flag and our country by using hubris to represent "us" and not pure, positive pride...don't want to get into semantics, but this was NOT about your intelligence, but possibly your choices....maybe, maybe not - I don't know you.......

 

[Holly]

So, according to Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez, wearing the Mexican Flag over your shoulders is absolutely ok:

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

yet showing American pride is a no-no?

No wonder Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez faces "appropriate actions"

Every child should be allowed to show pride in their heritage no matter what the day.

Personally, I think wearing the actual Mexican Flag over your shoulders is much more incendiary than a t-shirt with a screen printed American Flag, even on Cinco de Mayo.

Why is displaying either flag incendiary?

Why is displaying the Mexican flag "much more incendiary'?

It's not as if that girl is trashing the American flag.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

My apologies. I somehow got the impression from your posts that you were assuming the worst of the boys who were wearing the American flag on their shirts. It did seem odd to me that anyone would assume the possibility of hubris being the motivating factor in someone's decision to wear a patriotic shirt. I do see that you clearly said "If", though. Obviously you do realize that it is entirley possible that they were not wearing the shirts as a display of hubris.

totally!

I have no idea what their intentions were....but I think I have an an idea, IMHO only.

my only point was that IF that were to be their intent - then it is a disrespectful use of the flag and represents hubris, not pride or patriotism.

Thank you for going back and reading the original post!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

I've learned lately that we have to be very very careful of how we say things around here. You slipped in a little insult to my intelligence, so that is what I took note of.

I'm making assumptions about noone.

"Hubris" is not part of the dress code as a reason to require the students to not wear that shirt on that one day of the year. Apparently the district agreed. No assumption is needed as to their intentions as they are totally irrelevant.

as to the bolded - not at all relevant to what I said......you need to go back and re-read what I wrote.

 

[Scurvy]

totally!

I have no idea what their intentions were....but I think I have an an idea, IMHO only.

What gave you that impression, though? I didn't see anything in the article that indicated they were diplaying hubris rather than patriotism.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

as to the bolded - not at all relevant to what I said......you need to go back and re-read what I wrote.

No need--you feel they are displaying hubris, I don't feel they have--in either case it is completely and totally irrelevant as the district did not care as to their intentions. It simply isn't racist or wrong to show patriotism (of any degree) by wearing the American flag.

I don't care why they did it. There is nothing wrong with them doing so and that is all I was saying. Perhaps you can do me the honor of rereading my posts.

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Why is displaying either flag incendiary?

Why is displaying the Mexican flag "much more incendiary'?

It's not as if that girl is trashing the American flag.

It's not if both flags are celebrated, with the flag of the United States of America being shown the proper respect; ie, given precedence over any other country's flag.

However, that was not the case here. The Mexican Flag was allowed to be worn, but representations of the American Flag were not.

So, since the Mexican-American students wanted to wear the flag of their heritage, yet demanded the denial of the wearing of the flag of their country and citizenship, this can be seen as more incendiary. They are subtly saying that the Mexican Flag takes precedence over the flag of the United States of America.

Obviously, the school district, which knows way more about the incident than any of us, agrees and is investigating and taking appropriate actions.