Edmond students standing up to school officials after they said they weren’t allowed to fly flag
Students at Edmond North High School are rallying around a student after he was told he was not allowed to fly an American flag from his pickup.
EDMOND, Okla. —Students at Edmond North High School are rallying around a student after he was told he was not allowed to fly an American flag from his pickup.
Edmond Public Schools said it’s a practice not to fly any flags on campus, but it’s not a policy. When they informed a student, a group started organizing to show their “American pride.”
“I’ve been flying it for quite a while,” said Caleb Horst, a senior at the high school.
Horst said he was told on Wednesday by school officials that he can’t have the flag flying from his truck.
“I’ve never really had problems with it before, and it’s our First Amendment, so it’s kind of hard for them to infringe upon our rights,” Horst said.
Now his friends say they’re backing him and their right of expression, lining their trucks in the parking lot with the American flag flying high.
“I’ve got a brother in the military so it kind of hit home to me ‘cause I was like he’s fighting for that flag, we should be allow to fly it. It’d be different if we were trying to make a political statement, but there’s nothing political about it,” said Vance Miller, a senior at the high school.
Despite it not being an official policy of the district, Horst was told that come Monday, he shouldn’t have the flag on his truck anymore. His group of friends, whether people agree or not, said it’s worth fighting for.
“It represents us, it’s unity, it represents us as one and it’s our freedom, we have people that fight and die for that flag every day so I think we should be allowed to fly it,” Miller said.
“In the end, we’re all American, all united under that flag, and there’s not anything anyone can do to separate us,” Horst said.
The group of seniors said they plan to all have flags and fly them together, no matter what type of vehicle they’re driving. They hope other students will join in.
Edmond Public Schools officials on Thursday released a statement clarifying the practice.
“It is the practice of Edmond Public Schools to not permit students to fly or bring flags of any kind on our school campuses. This practice has been in place for several years and is explained to our students at the start of the school year along with various other policies and procedures. This is designed to prevent disruptions and distractions during the school day. It is also done in an effort to provide a safe school environment as flying flags on vehicles creates safety issues in the parking lot as well as can cause damage to other vehicles,” Edmond Public School officials said.
“To be clear, this is not about the American flag or patriotism. Edmond Public Schools proudly displays the American flag prominently and in the proper, respectful way outside each of our buildings and in our classrooms. Not only do we recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning as we start our school day, but we also present the colors and play the national anthem at most of our athletic events. All of these things are done in the proper fashion according to flag etiquette.”
