Special Olympics coach at Texas school gives black athlete with autism confederate hat
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lewisville High School, Lewisville, Texas (Google Street View)
A Texas school district says it was wrong for one of its volunteer Special Olympics coaches to give a confederate flag hat to a black student athlete with autism, according to a report.
“He told me like put it on, keep it on, show it to your mom and stuff,” 21-year-old Austen Mornes told KTVT. “I said, ‘What does the flag stand for?’ I said, ‘I don’t have no clue,’ and he says, ‘Freedom.'”
The coach gave Mornes the cap at a flag football practice Nov. 15, according to the station.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lewisville Independent School District issued a statement that said the volunteer was wearing the cap and Mornes expressed interest and took it home.
“The volunteer coach contacted the parents to discuss what happened, and believed the situation had been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction,” the statement said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mornes wore the hat at practice for ten minutes until someone told him to take it off, the station reported.
“You trust these people with your kid who has a disability,” Mornes’ mother Amelia Mornes-Njoka told the station. “You know and as far as I knew, I knew them well enough for my son to be around them without my supervision.”
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She also said, “My worst feeling was they were sitting there watching him and probably snickering or laughing under their breath,” she said.