A Colorado charter school is reversing its decision to ban a Gadsden flag badge after a middle school student was removed from class for having a patch on his backpack. The “Don’t Tread on Me” flag was cited as an offensive symbol of slavery.
A video of a parent conference with school administrators went viral when the mother of the 12-year-old student defended her son’s right to have the badge on his backpack, calling the school’s actions “unjust.”
After a debate and series of emails between the parent and administration, the school board called an emergency meeting and decided to allow the boy to keep the patch on his backpack.
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis showed support for the student, saying, “The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American revolution and an iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans.”
While the focal point of the student’s removal from class was the Gadsden flag, the school district noted there were other badges of semi-automatic weapons. Those patches were taken off before the boy returned to class.
“The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons,” the administrators said. “…The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack.”
The Gadsden flag’s origins date back to the Revolutionary War, but in more recent years, it was adopted by the conservative Tea Party movement and has become increasingly associated with right-wing politics.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruled in 2016 that the flag itself is not a racist symbol but is “sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts” while investigating a U.S. Postal employee complaint about a coworker wearing a hat with the flag.
The recording of the boy’s mother has been seen millions of times on social media, adding to an ongoing national debate over how some of America’s more “controversial” history should be taught and portrayed.
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