Public schools are supposed to be bastions of free thought and expression where students can explore ideas and learn about and exercise their constitutional rights among many other things.
This from thepatriotjournal.com.
Of late, our public schools have proven themselves to be institutions of Leftist indoctrination. They trample on students’ First Amendment rights “like a schoolyard bully stealing lunch money.” They have frequently banned T-shirts with certain messages, censored student newspapers, and discouraged or even disallowed demonstrations of patriotism.
Public—government-run—schools have increasingly taken liberties with limiting students’ liberties. Contrarily, however, the First Amendment is clear: Americans have the right to free speech, free assembly, and, yes, free expression.
Public schools argue their policies are necessary to create a safe, distraction-free learning environment.
But in their quest for order, they sometimes go overboard, crossing the line from reasonable regulation into outright censorship.
When a student cannot wear a shirt with a political slogan or is told not to bring a flag to school, the applied limitations raise the question: Are schools really protecting students or are they stifling them?
From The Post Millennial:
When an Oklahoma high school told student Caleb Horst he couldn’t fly an American flag from his truck on school grounds, the community showed its support of the student by placing US flags on their cars and trucks and driving over to the school parking lot Monday morning…
[The] explanation hasn’t satisfied students and parents who are furious over the decision. Many vented their outrage by bringing their vehicles with flags [to] the school on Monday morning.
At Edmond North High School in Oklahoma, Senior Caleb Horst chose to exercise his First Amendment right and he forced a showdown with his school’s officials concerning his flying the U.S. flag from his truck on school grounds.
That’s right—the same flag that waves proudly outside the school and in every classroom somehow became a problem when a student decided to display it.
Horst had been flying the flag from his truck for some time without issue. But on August 21, the school suddenly decided it was a no-go. The reason? According to the school district, it’s a “practice” (not an official policy, mind you) to ban flags on campus to prevent disruptions and ensure safety. They claimed flying flags from vehicles could cause safety hazards in the parking lot or damage other cars.
But that explanation did not sit well with the community. In a show of solidarity, parents and students rolled into the school parking lot Monday morning with flags waving from their cars and trucks. More than 50 vehicles were there by 7 a.m., with participants proudly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Talk about a peaceful protest.
Even Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters condemned the school’s decision and promised new guidelines to protect students’ rights to display the American flag. He pointed out that students shouldn’t be ‘punished for being patriotic.’
The irony is thick here. A school that proudly displays the flag and encourages students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily somehow finds a problem with a student expressing the same patriotism. As Vance Miller, another student who joined the protest, put it:
[T]he flag isn’t a political statement—
it’s a symbol of unity and freedom.
And that’s the crux of the issue. Public schools should foster a love for these values, not suppress them under the guise of maintaining order. When the American flag becomes a point of contention, it’s time to take a hard look at what’s really going on. Are schools protecting students, or are they protecting themselves from any hint of controversy?
