Five Morgan Hill students sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts

Gilroy Dispatch ^ | 5/5/10 | Lindsay Bryant

[Ballygrl]

Five Morgan Hill students sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts

2:11 PM By Lindsay Bryant

Five male students were asked to leave Live Oak High School this morning because they were wearing American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Officials at the school could not be reached for comment, but one student said administrators called the T-shirts "incendiary."

"They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire," said Matt Dariano, a sophomore.

The five teens were sitting at a table outside during their brunch break around 10:10 a.m. when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two boys to take off their American flag bandannas that they were wearing on their heads. In the same conversation, student Dominic Maciel said, Rodriguez told the group to "walk with him to the office."

Dariano called his mother Diana, who spread the word to the other parents and all arrived soon after to have a conference with Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden.

Maciel said they were told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home. Maciel said they were told it wouldn't be considered a suspension but Rodriguez did not want any fights to break out among Mexican students and the group showing their American pride.

The boys said they thought turning the American flag inside-out was disrespectful, so all went home.

Dariano said Rodriguez indicated to him that while other students were wearing American flags, the group of five was "the easiest target to cause trouble."

"We were not going to start a fight. We wanted to show our pride," Dariano said. "In light of all of this, there are people with painted flags in red, green and white and yet the boys can't wear the American flag," Diana said.

[Ballygrl]

I'm getting a little fed-up with this crap and celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

[truthbetold11]

a made up holiday seriously!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Touch Not the Cat]

.
So showing pride in America is ...this can NOT be real!

[TaMoDee]

Where’s the ACLU? (Hiding under their desks is my guess!)

[skeeter]

F Cinco de Mayo. One successful battle in a war they ultimately lost.

Hardly something to be proud of.

[TruthConquers]

Ping!!

[SirLurkedalot]

We’re buried in it out here.

[xjcsa]

I’m not sure wearing American flag t-shirts is in keeping with proper flag etiquette anyway - but that’s a whole different problem than the one involved here.

[Ballygrl]

I have tons of t-shirts with American flags on them and I love wearing them.

[GeronL]

Can’t offend the foreigners.... blech

[Navy Patriot]

Simple solution, deport Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez.

[ASOC]

Morgan Hill?

Is that a Texas town on the border of Mexico?

[Jerrybob]

I would sue that freakin’ school so fast — in federal court — for denying my right to free speech.....

[Paleo Conservative]

F Cinco de Mayo. One successful battle in a war they ultimately lost.

Hardly something to be proud of.

And the General who won that battle was born in Texas which in 1862 was no longer a part of Mexico.

[Jerrybob]

Along with every member of the school board — by name.

[mowowie]

Lunch at 10:10?
I’m barley awake at 10.

These school officials, I hope, will be driven from their cushy jobs soon.

[GeronL]

I think those families have a case.

[truthguy]

This should be the #1 News Story in the Country tonight. In a way it's more important than the oil spill, the attempted car-bombing in NY or the meltdown of the Greek economy.

The significance of this cannot be overstated. This is BIG NEWS! But will the moronic MSM carry this story? I doubt it. They are that blind.

And oh by the way, Cinco de Mayo isn't that big a deal in Mexico according to one of my Friends of Mexican descent. (Notice I didn't say Mexican-Americans.)

In the US, Cinco de Mayo is an excuse to get drunk and party. It's kinda like the made up holiday Kwanzaa.

[Notwithstanding]

Civil liberties lawsuit.

If hispanic Student M wears a hispanic flag to school, then patriotic Student P can wear a US flag to school.

Period.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I swear, this crap is way out of hand. I am going to get a “Remember the Alamo” T-shirt made and wear it on March 6th every year for the rest of my life.