Recently, a school told an Oklahoma teen that he couldn't fly his American flag from his pickup truck on school property. In response, students and community members staged a protest at the high school with American flags on their vehicles.
According to KOCO, Edmond North High School senior Caleb Horst had been "flying it for quite a while" without a problem. However, recently school administrators said that he couldn't fly the American flag from his truck anymore. They said it was banned.
"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 shared.
According to Edmond Public Schools district, they have a practice of stopping flags from flying on vehicles. The district said it is is "designed to prevent disruptions and distractions." It's also meant to create a "safe school environment, as flying flags on vehicles creates safety issues."
School Bans American Flag
That didn't stop community members and students from turning out to show their patriotism. Despite warnings from the district not to attend, more than 50 vehicles showed up on Monday. They peacefully protested and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
"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. Meanwhile, high school senior Vance Miller said he was honoring his brother in the military.
"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 proclaimed. "It'd be different if we were trying to make a political statement. But there's nothing political about it."
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters posted to X that he was unhappy. He said he was working on new guidelines. The guidelines will "ensure no student is ever targeted for having an American flag." He said the school district had a lot to explain.
"We have seen parents across the state who are so tired of people, young people, being told to hate their country or not be proud of their country," Walters told 9 News on Monday. "We want our young people to be proud of our country. Sounds like a lot of patriotic students at the school. And we want to encourage them to show love for the country."
