Students kicked out for wearing American flags on 5/5

[AsburySkinsFan]

Wasn't the day basically turned into a Cinco de Mayo fun day to begin with?

Haven't read that, link?

[GoSkins561]

There was a video on Yahoo yesterday, I do remember them mentioning mariachi dancers specifically.

[JMS]

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Students-Wearing-American-Flag-Shirts-Sent-Home-92945969.html

Horrible.

I think this is terrible funny..... It just goes to proove if you live long enough every issue get's reversed....

When I was a kid, folks were upset on the grounds of patriotism when the hipies started wearing the American Flag on their cloths.... Prior to that it was illegal, and if an American flag was dirty or even just grazed the ground, the proper action every patriotic American knew was to burn the flag..

Today folks are upset on patriotism grounds if you can't where the flag on your cloths, and they get even more upset when folks burn the flag.

[JMS]

You might want to go to Live Oak High School and tell those Mexicans there that they aren't supposed to care about Cinco de Mayo, because apparently a bunch of them do care.

Agreed

This is nothing.... On St Patricks day, I wasn't wearing the national color of the Irish, and six women pinched me until I peed in my pants... I complained to national press but nobody cared.

Maybe I should have changed my pants before going to their offices.

[twa]

There was a video on Yahoo yesterday, I do remember them mentioning mariachi dancers specifically.

And face painting, Mexican flags and colors...None of which is wrong in and of itself,just like the other's choice of attire.

The kids should of worn French flag clothing if they were trying to provoke a reaction....but even that would be informative and exposing the kids to culture and history :evilg:

[NOLASKINSFAN]

I believed all along that the girl should be allowed to go.

Ofcourse you did, she had a liberal cause. Same stories one with a liberal twist, one with a conservative

Scenario1:

-A girl stands up for what she believes and invites a girl to the prom. (motives challenged.)

-School Admin sees a potential conflict, tells the girl she must change her date to attend the prom (an extra curricular activity.)

-Girl doesn't give in...

-becomes liberal hero in training.

Scenario2:

-Boys stand up for what they believe in and wear a patriotic T-shirt. (motives challenged.)

-School Admin sees a potential conflict, boys must change the shirt to attend another CLASS.

- Boys don't give in.

- leave the school as American patriots.

[Predicto]

The 5 guys wanted to make a statement, the principle overreacted. There are no villains, there are no heroes, no terrorists, no patriots; just kids being kids.

Sums it up well.

[Tweedr01]

Has anyone actually seen the clothes these kids wore to school? The staple Old Navy T-Shirt, which has a very small American flag on it, and anyone who has ever been inside an Old Navy has one of these, Old Navy practically gives them away.

Very expensive TapOut shirts that are very, very popular....and look really cool I might add.

Thing is I do believe they knew what they were doing, I don't think they were wrong in doing it, and the principal took unjustified action upon them for normal shirts. These are shirts that I own and wear on a regular basis, its not like they were wearing an actual flag, they are wearing very normal clothes.

Bandana is part of the hats in school policy, can't wear them, not because of the flag but because they are headwear.

[NOLASKINSFAN]

Sums it up well.

Well, the girl got to go on Ellen, So I wanna hear these dudes on Huckabee before we call it even. :laugh:

[GoSkins561]

And face painting, Mexican flags and colors...None of which is wrong in and of itself,just like the other's choice of attire.

The kids should of worn French flag clothing if they were trying to provoke a reaction....but even that would be informative and exposing the kids to culture and history :evilg:

In the mean time the Mexican students are demanding respect, and the students that were wearing the US flag need to worry about gang retaliation.

It's a good thing the World Cup takes place this summer, and could you imagine what it's like during football season. "Screw you Charger fan, learn some respect, this is 9 er country".

[Peeping Wizard]

On this day in 1867 in a small town in Texas, a man died while taking a ****. If anybody wears any color other than brown on this day, I am deeply offended and they should be forced to remove that clothing.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Ofcourse you did, she had a liberal cause. Same stories one with a liberal twist, one with a conservative

Yo, you might want to pay just a bit more attention...I said over and over and over again that the principle should not have made them remove their shirts. Reading comprehension much?

[Major Harris]

You might want to go to Live Oak High School and tell those Mexicans there that they aren't supposed to care about Cinco de Mayo, because apparently a bunch of them do care.

Agreed

did you base that off the one quote in the article from ONE student?

[AsburySkinsFan]

Well, the girl got to go on Ellen, So I wanna hear these dudes on Huckabee before we call it even. :laugh:

Give it time, my guess is that Faux News already has calls into the families.

[aREDSKIN]

I guess the police are involved to protect the Mexican students from the 4 or 5 Caucassian instigators looking for a fight.

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.

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/05/hundreds-of-hispanic-students-leave-school-hold-march-demanding-respect/

[AsburySkinsFan]

did you base that off the one quote in the article from ONE student?

No I based that off the Faux News article where it said that they counted about a hundred students wearing Mexican colors and had their faces painted.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/06/california-students-sent-home-wearing-flags-cinco-mayo/

More than 100 students were spotted wearing the colors of the Mexican flag -- red, white and green -- as they left school, including some who had the flag painted on their faces or arms, the Morgan Hill times reported.

And in more good news: This page also has a video which shows the clothes the guys were wearing, and according to one of the boys they knew exactly that it was Cinco de Mayo. What's more is that the principle seems to have known what he was talking about when he warned of fights.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/05/07/tensions-high-california-high-school-following-flag-flap/

Tensions are rising at a California high school where five students were sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo.

More than 200 Hispanic students reportedly skipped class on Thursday and marched to school district headquarters while chanting "we want respect" and "si se puedes" -- "yes we can" -- the Morgan Hill Times reported.

"We did this to support the Latino/Hispanic community," Francine Roa, a 2005 Live Oak High School graduate, told the newspaper.

At least six Morgan Hill police vehicles traveled alongside the students, many of whom carried Mexican flags. No arrests were made related to the march, the newspaper reported.

Police have been told to be on alert for gang-related retaliation against the boys, according to Ken Jones, whose stepson, Daniel Galli, was one of the students who refused to turn their T-shirts inside-out when asked by a vice principal on Wednesday.

"We just want this whole thing to die down," Jones told FoxNews.com. "We're not trying to keep these flames firing."

The five teens -- Galli, Austin Carvalho, Matt Dariano, Dominic Maciel and Clayton Howard -- were sitting at a table outside Live Oak High School Wednesday morning when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two of them to remove their American flag bandannas, one of the boys' parents told FoxNews.com. The youths complied, but were asked to accompany Rodriguez to the principal's office.

The students were then told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home, though it would not be considered a suspension. Rodriguez told the students he did not want any fights to break out between Mexican-American students celebrating their heritage and those wearing American flags, the parent said.

But Jones said the preemptive action was unnecessary, and that Rodriguez "overstepped his bounds."

"The issue was, there was nothing going on," Jones told Fox News on Friday. "There was no sense of violence at all amongst the students, there was no conversation, there was no bullying.

"We just feel like the vice principal overstepped his bounds. He jumped in too quickly. We can understand he might be concerned something would happen, but there was no indication that was going to happen at all."

Officials at the high school, a 1,300-student institution in Santa Clara County, near San Jose, have not returned several messages seeking comment.

As of late Thursday, Jones said the five boys' parents have no plans to sue the school or Morgan Hill Unified School District, which has characterized the incident as "extremely unfortunate" and is conducting an ongoing investigation. Several attorneys have contacted the families offering to represent them pro bono, Jones said.

"We're keeping an open mind," he said. "We want to stand up for our First Amendment rights."

He said the families are seeking an apology from school officials and want the students' unexcused absences for leaving school to be expunged.

Galli said he frequently wears the American flag T-shirt to school and that he wasn't trying to incite any tension. Asked if he wore the shirt to make a statement related to the ongoing immigration debate, Galli said, "No, it had absolutely nothing to do with that."

District officials, meanwhile, sent a voicemail message in English and Spanish to all parents late Thursday.

"The Morgan Hill Unified School District does not prohibit nor do we discourage wearing patriotic clothing," the message from Superintendent Wesley Smith said. "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 situation and our response are under review."

Asked if the district will be taking any steps to quell rising tensions at the school, a district official told FoxNews.com in an e-mail, "Our focus for [Thursday] was student safety. Students are safe and administrators are continuing to work through the investigation."

Eugene Volokh, a professor of law at UCLA, said the students are protected under California Education Code 48950, which prohibits schools from enforcing a rule subjecting a high school student to disciplinary sanctions solely on the basis of conduct that, when engaged outside of campus, is protected by the First Amendment.

If the school could point to previous incidents sparked by students who wore garments with American flags, they could argue that the flag is likely to lead to "substantial disruption," Volokh said.

"If, for example, there had been fights over similar things at past events, if there had been specific threats made. But if [school officials] just say, 'Well, we think it might be offensive to people,' that's generally speaking not enough."

Volokh said the students and their parents likely have a winning case on their hands if they decide to take the matter to court.

"Oh yes, it's almost open and shut," he said.

[DjTj]

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.

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/05/hundreds-of-hispanic-students-leave-school-hold-march-demanding-respect/

At this point, I think it's pretty safe to say that the Vice-Principal overreacted and totally ****ed up this situation.

[nonniey]

OK, quick question did the kids want to make a statement. They certainly made a statement after the fact but that doesn't neccessarily mean they went to school that day specifically wearing these clothes because it was Cinco-de-Mayo. Possibly a lot of assumptions being made in this thread.

[Predicto]

I guess the police are involved to protect the Mexican students from the 4 or 5 Caucassian instigators looking for a fight.

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.

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/05/hundreds-of-hispanic-students-leave-school-hold-march-demanding-respect/

So you agree that the principal may have done the right thing then? Trying to avoid conflict in the school before it happens. :halo:

[twa]

Question for those of you that think the kids wearing the flag were in the wrong.

Would your opinion change if the kids that were complaining were illegals?

Let's find out:evilg:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3758105.html

See if anyone gets whiplash.

Reagan High School Principal Robert Pambello was ordered to remove a Mexican flag Wednesday morning that he had hoisted below the U.S. and Texas flags that typically fly in front of his school — a symbol he agreed to fly to show support for his predominantly Hispanic student body.

At nearby Hamilton Middle School, a child was asked to wipe off Mexican and U.S. flags painted on his face. Hundreds of other students carried Mexican flags during walkouts Wednesday — acts of protest that they vow to continue until Congress rejects legislation that would further restrict immigration.

"There's no other way to be heard ... It's not the best way or the right way, but it's our way," Reagan freshman Jose Lopez, 14, said of the effort.

...

Plan to raise flag today

Some Reagan students said they will try to raise a Mexican flag again today. They said they want it to fly at least above the Texas flag on the pole.

"Just because you're in the country doesn't mean you can't show your culture," said Lewis Ramirez, 16, a sophomore at Reagan High.

Carina Muriel, a junior at Channelview High School, said she doesn't think it's appropriate for her rallying classmates to carry Mexican flags.

"If they really want to show devotion, they should be carrying U.S. flags," she said.

Muriel said students at her school are walking out, wearing white shirts and carrying Mexican flags.

[AsburySkinsFan]

At this point, I think it's pretty safe to say that the Vice-Principal overreacted and totally ****ed up this situation.

Yep, and now the media is involved and tensions are rising and groups are marching...let's just hope they blow off steam constructively.

[Predicto]

OK, quick question did the kids want to make a statement. They certainly made a statement after the fact but that doesn't neccessarily mean they went to school that day specifically wearing these clothes because it was Cinco-de-Mayo. Possibly a lot of assumptions being made in this thread.

Well, we can agree on that.

[AsburySkinsFan]

OK, quick question did the kids want to make a statement. They certainly made a statement after the fact but that doesn't neccessarily mean they went to school that day specifically wearing these clothes because it was Cinco-de-Mayo. Possibly a lot of assumptions being made in this thread.

Watch the video on the second link I provided, the kid himself says that they knew it was Cinco de Mayo and they wanted to show their pride. While I have no problem with that, it does show that they our assumptions were pretty on the mark.

[AsburySkinsFan]

Reagan High School Principal Robert Pambello was ordered to remove a Mexican flag Wednesday morning that he had hoisted below the U.S. and Texas flags that typically fly in front of his school — a symbol he agreed to fly to show support for his predominantly Hispanic student body.

Wow, that's epically stupid.

At nearby Hamilton Middle School, a child was asked to wipe off Mexican and U.S. flags painted on his face. Hundreds of other students carried Mexican flags during walkouts Wednesday — acts of protest that they vow to continue until Congress rejects legislation that would further restrict immigration.

"There's no other way to be heard ... It's not the best way or the right way, but it's our way," Reagan freshman Jose Lopez, 14, said of the effort.

...

Plan to raise flag today

Some Reagan students said they will try to raise a Mexican flag again today. They said they want it to fly at least above the Texas flag on the pole.

"Just because you're in the country doesn't mean you can't show your culture," said Lewis Ramirez, 16, a sophomore at Reagan High.

Carina Muriel, a junior at Channelview High School, said she doesn't think it's appropriate for her rallying classmates to carry Mexican flags.

"If they really want to show devotion, they should be carrying U.S. flags," she said.

Muriel said students at her school are walking out, wearing white shirts and carrying Mexican flags.

Oh joy, as a government/public institution you don't put another flag on the pole...not at all...you just don't...period.

Seems to me that there are some adults out there who have no problem putting their kids on the front line of the immigration fight.

[GoSkins561]

Let's find out:evilg:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3758105.html

See if anyone gets whiplash.

Reagan High School Principal Robert Pambello was ordered to remove a Mexican flag Wednesday morning that he had hoisted below the U.S. and Texas flags that typically fly in front of his school — a symbol he agreed to fly to show support for his predominantly Hispanic student body.

At nearby Hamilton Middle School, a child was asked to wipe off Mexican and U.S. flags painted on his face. Hundreds of other students carried Mexican flags during walkouts Wednesday — acts of protest that they vow to continue until Congress rejects legislation that would further restrict immigration.

"There's no other way to be heard ... It's not the best way or the right way, but it's our way," Reagan freshman Jose Lopez, 14, said of the effort.

...

Plan to raise flag today

Some Reagan students said they will try to raise a Mexican flag again today. They said they want it to fly at least above the Texas flag on the pole.

"Just because you're in the country doesn't mean you can't show your culture," said Lewis Ramirez, 16, a sophomore at Reagan High.

Carina Muriel, a junior at Channelview High School, said she doesn't think it's appropriate for her rallying classmates to carry Mexican flags.

"If they really want to show devotion, they should be carrying U.S. flags," she said.

Muriel said students at her school are walking out, wearing white shirts and carrying Mexican flags.

I thought I was creating a hypothetical, wow, this one deserves it's own thread.

The kids protesting demanding respect is hilarious.