Posted on 05/06/2010 9:28:30 AM PDT by NoLibZone
Five Morgan Hill students sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts May 5, 2010 By Lindsay Bryant
Live Oak High School students from left, Daniel Galli, Austin Carvalho, Matt Dariano and Dominic Maciel were sent home from school Wednesday because they were wearing American flag t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Photo by: Lora Schraft, Staff Photographer
Freshman Laura Ponce shows off her Mexican pride as she wears a Mexican flag over her shoulders and wears facepaint Wednesday as she waits for school to get out at Live Oak. Photo by: Lora Schraft, Staff Photographer
Five Live Oak High School students' First Amendment rights were challenged this morning when they were asked to leave school because they donned American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo. Officials at the school chose not to comment on the situation, but one student said an official called the T-shirts "incendiary."
"They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire," said sophomore Matt Dariano.
The Morgan Hill Unified School District issued this statement: "In an attempt to foster a spirit of cultural awareness and maintain a safe and supportive school environment, the Live Oak High School administration took certain actions earlier today. The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions."
The five teens were sitting at a table outside during their brunch break about 10:10 a.m. when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two boys to take off their American flag bandannas. The boys said they complied. In the same conversation, sophomore 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, who all arrived soon after to have a conference with Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden. The group said they were not instigating anything and did what they always do at break - sit and talk and eat.
The boys were told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home - and that it would not be considered a suspension - but that Rodriguez did not want any fights to break out among Mexican-American students and those wearing American flags. Dariano said other students were wearing American flags but since they were a group of five "we were the easiest target to cause trouble" according to Rodriguez, he said.
The boys told Rodriguez and Boden that turning their T-shirts inside-out was disrespectful, so their parents opted to take them home.
"I just couldn't believe it," said Dominic's mother Julie Fagerstrom. "I'm an open-minded parent, but it's got to be on both sides. It can't be five kids singled out."
A front-desk secretary said Boden was unavailable for any comment on what had happened Wednesday and Rodriguez was busy with testing, the secretary said.
More than 100 students were spotted wearing red, white and green as they were leaving school. Some had the Mexican flag painted on their faces or on their arms.
Nothing in Live Oak's dress code policy addresses what transpired Wednesday, but it does state that "the school has the right to request that any student dressing inappropriately for school will change into other clothes, be sent home to change, and/or be subject to disciplinary action."
One Mexican-American student, freshman Laura Ponce, had a Mexican flag painted on her face and chest, peaking out of her low-cut shirt. She did it because, "it's our day, the only day we can show our spirit." A school administrator took away the Mexican flag she was carrying as she was waiting to go home. Ponce said: "not cool."
"There was a lot of drama going on today," Ponce said. Some were saying "Mexico sucks" while Mexican-American students responded in their second language.
"Some were yelling Spanish to us," Maciel said, who is half-Hispanic. "I couldn't understand it, but it sounded bad."
Some Mexican-American students said that their flags were taken away or asked to be put away, but none were sent home for wearing red, white and green. Since Boden would not comment, it's uncertain if any other students were sent home for what they were wearing on Cinco de Mayo.
Live Oak High School even hosted a group of professional baile folklorico dancers, who waved flags and played traditional music from Mexico.
"It's sad it's come to this," Fagerstrom said. "But we stand behind their patriotic nature and the boys expressing their individuality."
The boys wrote a two-paragraph statement that they each signed detailing their support for American patriotism and that they felt disrespected and discriminated against when their First Amendment rights were discarded Wednesday at school.
"We were not going to start a fight. We wanted to show our pride," Dariano said.
Principal Miguel Rodriguez? Hmmmm.
"Live Oak's principal had no comment. The Morgan Hill Unified School District, however, disagreed with the high school."The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration's interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions," said Dr. Jay Totter of the district.
By sundown, the district met with all the students and parents, and they all got good news. The t-shirts can stay."
California is a foreign country. All conservatives in CA should leave and California given to Mexico.
The way I see it.
1) The students of Mexican heritage have no rights NOT to be offended.
2) The students wearing the American Flag have a constitutional right to do this.
3) The students wearing the American Flag have no rights NOT to be offended by the students of Mexican heritage wearing Mexican flags.
Uhm - the only ones who had their rights violated were the the American students.... the principal needs to be fired!
Call Live Oak Vice Principal Miguel Rodriguez at:
Switchboard (408) 201-6100
Ext: 40105
That would be agreeable to those of us here in AZ...however, I suspect La Raza & Reconquista would not stop there.
The ACLU should be filing suit shortly.
/s
America is becoming a foriegn country.
What do you suppose would happen if Mexican students wore a T-shirt with the Mexican Flag to a school event on an American Holiday?
Would they be sent home too?
“Five Morgan Hill students sent home for wearing American flag T-shirts [ California ]”
What in hell made these kids think that flying our flag in a foreign land would be met any other way?
The Mexican students should have been sent home for complaining about the AMERICAN flag in AMERICA.
Thank you...Some people are a little slow to figure this out and believe this is somehow still isolated to Cal or the southwest...
There, fixed it.
They need to fire this racist bigot Raza boy or at least take him to court.
The quote from the Hispanic girl says it all, “our day” “disrespeck us” (sic) her on her day....gang lingo, so the admin was fearful of violence against the white kids I bet. So you do what all good teachers union leaders do you violate the good kids rights as he offers no threat to you and as a good Raza leader you pander to the common goal la Patria and the snake in a cactus with an eagle. Viva La Republica y nuestro bandera...oops wrong country.
Call Live Oak Vice Principal Miguel Rodriguez at:
Switchboard (408) 201-6100
Ext: 40105
Or call:
Morgan Hill Unified School District
15600 Concord Circle
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
408-201-6000
Almost there folks
Kali-forn-yah is a lost cause, showing exactly the future of runaway illegal immigration for the USA.
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