Kids Kicked out of School for Wearing American Flag Tshirts

[Mickey's Minion]

if they were sooooo concerned about the safety of these five - why not the others?????

Rodriguez allegedly was quoted that he feared for the safety of the boys because they were "a group and the easiest target" rather than going after individuals.

 

[bored]

Perhaps California should take a cue from Arizona and we wouldn't have as many of these problems!

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Rodriguez allegedly was quoted that he feared for the safety of the boys because they were "a group and the easiest target" rather than going after individuals.

still not buying it - if the Mexican-Americans were so riled up - why allow any flag shirts - why allow the Cinco de Mayo celebration at all...after all, it is a school? They don't have to allow outside celebrations.

 

[Magic Mom]

I agree!

the only thing I can think of is the Principal knew what was coming and he was trying to head off trouble. However, his actions were probably presumptive and he probably should have not asked for them to remove the shirts based only on that. It really is HIS assumptions that are important here though and he would more than likely know. Maybe, if he thought they were up to trouble, he could have simply pulled them in and gave them a warning not to tart anything...not asked to remove the shirts, that are, as mentioned, well in the code!

Also, if that were case that he wanted to head off trouble, then he should have asked all the students wearing the Mexican flag and face paint to remove theirs as well.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

Also, if that were case that he wanted to head off trouble, then he should have asked all the students wearing the Mexican flag and face paint to remove theirs as well.

true - and yet, in the name of safety, he did not!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Also, if that were case that he wanted to head off trouble, then he should have asked all the students wearing the Mexican flag and face paint to remove theirs as well.

Unless he was only anticipating trouble from one group.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

still not buying it - if the Mexican-Americans were so riled up - why allow any flag shirts - why allow the Cinco de Mayo celebration at all...after all, it is a school? They don't have to allow outside celebrations.

I can still buy it---

But it is the million doller question as to why they allowed anything at all. I would guess (and yes--simply a guess)--that based on the information that has been released (even if hearsay), that they would have had a serious problem prohibiting students from celebrating their heritage. I didn't catch that anyone was "celebrating" so much as that everyone was in dress code but wearing something to commemorate a day--like wearing green on St. Patrick's Day. I.e. I haven't come across anything that stated that cinco de mayo was sanctioned.

It is an interesting problem and I'll be curious to see what the final conclusion was.

The "fact" that it seems that students are now riled up and agreeing with the AP's actions b/c it should have been "their" day is quite troublesome. As I stated earlier--if it were the 4th of July, it simply wouldn't fly to punish students who opt to wear the colors or depictions of their homeland countries. And as someone else posted, it wouldn't fly if a Muslim student was asked to refrain from wearing the hajib or other attire on 9/11.

It shouldn't fly on this day either regardless of the intent of the young men. The students of Mexican heritage are choosing to be riled up over something they really have no business being riled up over. Again--it is highly unlikely that the school removed the American flag off of their property on May 5th so as not to be offensive.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

The high school in question is about 20 miles up the road from me and I just saw a story about the situation on the news. They interviewed one of the flag-wearing boys. Basically he said, "The Mexican-American students are celebrating their heritage today and we're doing the same thing. We're showing our pride in America." A Mexican-American student said, "They shouldn't wear American flag shirts today. It's our day to celebrate."

The boys said they weren't trying to cause trouble, but they showed a group of Mexican-American kids chasing their truck down the street and trying to get them to stop and fight. So they caused trouble whether they meant to or not.

It also appeared that the flag shirts weren't causing and bit of trouble until the principal showed up!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

A Mexican-American student said, "They shouldn't wear American flag shirts today. It's our day to celebrate."

I guess I'll never understand.

I've never seen this much trouble on Bastille day.

 

[saradela]

How is it RACISM to wear an American flag. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the failure of the French invasion and it is not even celebrated in Mexico! This is the United States. We should be celebrating our flag.

We celebrate 5 de Mayo in Mexico, as a matter of fact, there were no schools yesterday. (5 de mayo), and kids on the streets had their faces painted with the flag, their hair with mexican bows etc.
Anyhow, I dont think that they are saing that they dont want to be American, is just a FUN day, a party day, that remembers where their parents como from, what is more dangerous, are the ones that get the citizenship and dishonor the American Flag and their people, like the Pakistaní -American, that put a bomb on a Car in New York. THAT IS A BIG STATEMENT.
PD.-And like everywhere in the world, not all Pakistanís are like that.

 

[mhsjax]

post deleted

 

[DawnCt1]

Also, if that were case that he wanted to head off trouble, then he should have asked all the students wearing the Mexican flag and face paint to remove theirs as well.

Exactly; Students still have some first amendment rights within the school. All flags and all tee shirts could have been barred, but not one flag (or one type of political speech) and allow the other flag (or another type of political speech)

 

[kaytieeldr]

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.

While it's true these continents are North and South America, the people from the specific countries on each continent are most commonly depicted as being of the specific country. We, on the other hand, as citizens of the United States of America, are not United Statesers or United Statesians - we're the Americans. Citizens of Mexico are Mexicans; citizens of Brazil are Brazilians; citizens of Costa Rica are Costa Ricans...

That's just the way it is.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Honsestly, I'm torn on this one. At face value, I do not like the administrations' decision. However, I am not willing to crucify the administratoin with only one side of the story.

In my school, part of the dress code stated the we could be asked to remove any articles of clothing that were deemed to be "distracting." Such a definition might apply in this case. Bandanas were also banned as we could nto wear any kind of head covering or any kind of "side dressing" (like wearing bandanas as arm bands.)

It sounds like the boys did it deliberately to stir up trouble based on the quotes from one of the fathers. Normally it might not be an issue, but with the issue in Arizone, I imagine a school with a high immigrant population might be a little on edge. Particulalry if these boys were outspoken at school about it. In this case, it very well could be that people knew the intent and it would have stirred up trouble. I certainly cannot blame the administration for trying to head off trouble before it started. A lot of times when something happens, part of the blame is laid on the teachers or administrators- as I well know. I have some aggressive kids in my class. One kid, if I send him to the safe seat, he may blow up and throw chairs/desks. I was told at one point that we were to avoid these incidents "at all costs." I wonder if that was what the administrator was told as well.

Without more information, I would like to reserve judgment.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My husband and I were just discussing this. We decided a good analogy would be if we went to Canada on July 4th and said to a Canadian, "How dare you wear a maple leaf on your shirt today! It's an American holiday!" Kind of puts it into perspective.

 

[luvmy3]

Could you imagine what would happen if a principal named Mike Smith did this to 4 Mexican-American students for wearing a Mexican Flag shirt on Memorial day or 4th of July.

 

[Arenita]

Yesterday, a sophomore in a local high school removed and tossed a Mexican flag that was placed above an American flag in his school. (Prior, he had told his mom, who called the school - no return call. So, the kid took down the flag.) He has been suspended for three days and will have to take his final exams.

It is a shame what is happening in this country. My grandparents were born Italian. Did they forget their heritage? Thankfully, no. Did they put loyalty to their native land above loyalty to their adopted land? NO! NEVER! (A land, by the way, which gave them the opportunity to achieve - yes, I am going to say it! - the AMERICAN DREAM.) My grandparents were born Italian and they died American - as proud as any I have known.

The new "salad bowl" immigration will be the ruin of this great nation. It is sad.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/micha...tudent-for-removing-mexican-flag/440902268367

 

[EMom]

That is very true. However, the Mexican-American students are not doing themselves any favors and helping to alleviate the intolerance when 200 leave the high school and stage a march chanting that they want respect.

They are escalating it from the actions of one man to now a representation of the Mexican-American student body. Now six police cars and a motorcycle officer are involved.

http://www.gilroydispatch.com/news/...arch-through-downtown-morgan-hill-for-respect

About 200 Hispanic teens are marching in Morgan Hill yelling "We want respect!" and "Si se puede!" in reaction to a controversy ignited when the Live Oak High School principal effectively sent four students home for wearing T-shirts with American flags on them during Cinco de Mayo.

Mexican-American students felt the students were being disrespectful on the only day they celebrate their heritage while students sporting red, white and blue said it violated their First Amendment rights.

Six police cars and a Morgan Hill motorcycle officer have been cruising alongside the large group as it marches.

The group - mostly high school students - walked out of school this morning after the story of four students who were sent home because they wore American flag T-shirts went viral on TV and online. Many wear red, white and green and two large Mexico flags can be seen at the front of the line.

The students say they want people to know they're proud of their heritage and they believe wearing red, white and blue on Cinco de Mayo is disrespectful. (bolding mine)

Many of the students are from Live Oak High School, who left school around 11 a.m. this morning and decided to march to the school district headquarters just north of Tennant Avenue. When they arrived, they were told to leave.
.
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Telling citizens of the US that it is disrespectful to wear red, white and blue on Cinco de Mayo fosters intolerance as it should never, ever be disrespectful to wear red, white and blue in the United States of America on any day of the year. One can easily celebrate both cultures. You do not have to exclude one to have respect for the other.

The students are demanding that people not wear red, white and blue in this country on one day, saying it is disrespectful?? Let's face it, US citizens are a proud group. And when another group tells them it is disrespectful to be a US citizen, even for one day, it is going to raise hackles.

I said it in one of my earlier posts, it is really a shame that it is a small group of vocal, radical Mexican-Americans that is causing so much intolerance for the majority of the people of this incredibly rich and beautiful culture.

Again, people would laugh their heads off if the Germans demanded no wearing of red, white and blue during Oktoberfest or the Poles demanded no wearing of red, white and blue on their holidays. What if our Chinese citizens demanded no wearing of red, white and blue during the Chinese New Year?

Cultures should be celebrated, however, not by asking others to exclude the culture of the country they are in.

Bottom line.....Irish-Americans would never get in a snit over other Americans wearing US flag shirts on St. Patrick's Day. Neither would German-Americans during Oktoberfest, Chinese-Americans during Chinese New Year, etc. But I promise you, things like this Cinco de Mayo incident are all too common and getting more common every day.

Why does the obnoxious "let's walk out of school, stage a protest and demand that everyone RESPECT our flag and our culture while we show utter contempt for that of the US" not surprise me one little bit? Perhaps it's because over the past several years, I've seen it more and more often. The attitude of many (relatively) Mexican immigrants has changed. Simply put, a large percentage of them are a different sort than the ones who came before. It's the whole reconquista thing. I wish that was a fantasy made up by far right wing nuts, but it's not. I swear, if they put half as much effort into demanding "their rights" from Mexico as they do from the US, Mexico would become a much more desirable place to live and far fewer of them would have a reason to come to the US. But you don't see them mass protesting down in Mexico, do you? Try organizing a protest of thousands of Americans in Mexico with American flags as far as they eye can see and let's hide and watch to discover just how tolerant Mexico is of such an action.

At virtually the same moment Mexico was warning Mexican citizens against travel in Arizona out of "fear" for their safety, Amnesty International was condemning Mexico for its inhumane treatment of.....wait for it........ILLEGAL ALIENS. You gotta love it. If the US was half as tough and intolerant to illegal aliens as Mexico is, we wouldn't have an illegal alien problem, because they'd be too scared to cross over. I nearly spit my Coke every time the Mexican president gets his knickers in a twist over how unwelcoming we are being to illegal aliens. How he says that stuff with a straight face is beyond me, but my hat's off to him. Not just anyone could pull that off. With the Mexican president setting such an example of undeserved entitlement, what else can we expect from the protesting students?????

 

[EMom]

Yesterday, a sophomore in a local high school removed and tossed a Mexican flag that was placed above an American flag in his school. (Prior, he had told his mom, who called the school - no return call. So, the kid took down the flag.) He has been suspended for three days and will have to take his final exams.

It is a shame what is happening in this country. My grandparents were born Italian. Did they forget their heritage? Thankfully, no. Did they put loyalty to their native land above loyalty to their adopted land? NO! NEVER! (A land, by the way, which gave them the opportunity to achieve - yes, I am going to say it! - the AMERICAN DREAM.) My grandparents were born Italian and they died American - as proud as any I have known.

The new "salad bowl" immigration will be the ruin of this great nation. It is sad.

http://www.facebook.com/notes/micha...tudent-for-removing-mexican-flag/440902268367

I just looked that up and it happened at Klein Collins in Houston. Gee, not getting much coverage in the mainstream media. I swear, if I had driven DD to school and spotted a Mexican flag flying above the US and Texas flags, hell would have frozen over before she set foot on that campus for the day. Are those administrators on dope? They have taken leave of their senses. Forget whether the kid was right or wrong for removing the Mexican flag.....It should NEVER have been flying above a US school (and the American flag) in the first place. Lunacy!

 

[Luvchefmic]

You know what I think.....well I'm going to tell you anyway...I think I am getting sick of the whole thing...the us vs them mentality, the carefully guarding our words, the way our country is going to hell in a hand-basket. I think we all started down the path to destruction when we started being "--------(fill in your nationality) hyphen American..and seperating ourselves one from another ..we are ALL immigrants (okay not all native americans....Indians ...were first born here)...people who want to be honored to become legal American citizens need to do it the proper way, people who are here the right way should consider themselves Americans....pledge to our flag, love the USA...am I suggesting not celebrating cultural/nationality holidays ? Of course not, BUT ,,,,,,,the boys did nothing wrong and if it was a protest it was done quietly....the administrator "jumped the gun" on this one.

I love my country, I was born here, my parents were born here, my grandparents (on both sides) were not...they learned the language, assimilated into their new country, (remember the phrase "melting pot") and became citizens....did they abandon their heritages ? No....but they were hard working, tax paying, military serving people that would die for their "new" country & they are probably shaking their heads from heaven and shedding a tear or two as to what is happening here.......

That's it climbing off the soap-box now...just my OWN/HUMBLE opinion

proud USMC MOM of 2