Teen leaves Virginia high school after official told him to remove American flags from his pickup truck
A Virginia teen is refusing a demand from high school officials to remove two American flags from his pickup truck and is opting to leave the school altogether instead. (WFXR)
A 12-year-old Colorado boy just won a major victory against his school after a video of him being removed from class for displaying a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack went viral this week.
Connor Boyack,, education expert and president of the Libertas Institute in Utah, released a screenshot of the Vanguard School Board of Directors allowing Jaiden to "attend school with the Gadsden flag patch visible on his backpack."
"We won!" Boyack wrote Tuesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Let this be a lesson — document your encounters w/ government employees. Had Jaiden's mom not recorded the video, this wouldn't have got nearly the attention that it did."
12-YEAR-OLD BOY BOOTED FROM CLASS OVER GADSDEN FLAG PATCH ON BACKPACK: ‘ORIGINS WITH SLAVERY’
A 12-year-old Colorado boy just won a major victory against his school after he went viral this week for a video showing a young boy being removed from class for displaying a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack. (iStock)
An employee for the school said via email that the patch was "disruptive to the classroom environment" and has "origins with slavery."
The Gadsden flag originates from the American Revolution as a symbol of the 13 colonies’ fight against British tyrannical rule.
Boyack shared the original viral video of Jaiden, "who was kicked out of class" in Colorado Springs on Monday. The video has since gained over 8,900,000 views on X.
The video opens with Jaiden, his mother and the unnamed school administrator sitting down for a meeting in her office to discuss the child’s dismissal from class. The staff member says, "So, the reason that they do not want the flag — the reason we do not want the flag displayed — is due to its origins with slavery and slave trade."
Jaiden’s mother pushed back on the decision, saying, "Yeah, it has nothing to do with slavery, that’s like the Revolutionary War patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British." She asked if maybe the woman was mistaking it for the Confederate flag.
"From Vanguard’s founding we have proudly supported our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the ordered liberty that all Americans have enjoyed for almost 250 years," the purported email says. "The Vanguard School recognizes the historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history. This incident is an occasion for us to reaffirm our deep commitment to a classical education in support of these American principles."
Harrison School District 2 released a comment on Tuesday.
"There has been National media attention on our charter school, The Vanguard School, related to a student having the Gadsden flag on his backpack. Unfortunately, this story is incomplete. The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons. The student has removed the semi-automatic patches. As a school district, we will continue to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in a safe and nurturing environment. The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack. The Vanguard School and Harrison School District 2 worked in collaboration to resolve this matter," the school board said.
The Vanguard School claimed that it has always "proudly supported our Constitution, the Bill of Rights" and American liberty in a purported email. (iStock)
Even Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis weighed in on the controversy, taking to social media and defending the Gadsen flag as "a proud symbol of the American revolution and a iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report. This article has been updated with a statement from Harrison School District 2, which was originally attributed to The Vanguard School. This has been corrected.
For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media
Fox News First
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.