A Catholic middle school student in California was “completely humiliated” after his principal banned him from giving a speech about patriotism and called the police on his father for a confrontation with the principal.
Jimmy Hayward, a 13-year-old student at St. Bonaventure Catholic School in Orange County, spent hours giving campaign speeches while running for school spirit and patriotism committee, his parents said.
His mother, Hattie Ruggles, argued: petition Principal Mary Flock reportedly instructed Jimmy to remove “everything about patriotism” from his speech, even though the word “patriotism” was part of the title of the office he was running for.
In the speech, Jimmy calls on students to respect the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, veterans, and other quintessential aspects of American patriotism.
During his speech, Jimmy even stated that he would “like to work with Ms. Flock” to organize events for “Holocaust survivors, 9/11 survivors, Japanese Americans in concentration camps, etc.”
“My love for America is what motivates me to run,” the teen said. “I’m honored to live in this country.”
A video of Jimmy delivering the full speech from his home also shows the outspoken student wearing a red cap with the words “Make SBS” emblazoned on it. [Saint Bonaventure School] Great again.”
“Jimmy confronted her and said he had no intention of removing the patriotism part of his speech,” Ruggles wrote on Change.org, calling for Flock’s removal. “Then she said she wouldn’t tell him. Jimmy sat at her podium while all the other candidates gave their speeches.”
“Mary Flock instructed the children hosting the gathering to skip Jimmy completely. He went on stage for an hour in front of his colleagues, teachers and parents and was completely humiliated by Mary Flock. “He was receiving a lot of treatment,” his mother said.
Seeing his young son had to be absent, Jimmy’s father, Ed Hayward, stood up and confronted Mr Flock and deputy principal Caleb McFerran.
Frustrated parents said school officials did not allow Jimmy to speak because “his views did not align with theirs.”
It didn’t take long for Flock to call the Huntington Beach Police Department to the school to remove his upset father.
However, responding officers interviewed Mr. Hayward and he was “free to remain and watch with the rest of his family present,” Ruggles said in his petition.
“As the officers left, they asked Jimmy to tell him that Ed had said ‘thank you’ for what he had written in his speech,” she added.
Later that day, Mr Flock sent an email to SBS parents that “completely lied about what actually happened earlier in the day”, Mr Ruggles continued.
Screenshots of the alleged emails obtained by Fox News show Ms Flock said she was not allowed to speak because Jimmy had not edited it for approval, and that police had asked her father to “ensure the safety and well-being of those in attendance”.
“This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment within our school community,” the email stated.
Ms Ruggles claims Ms Flock’s messages were lies.
“This kind of behavior is unacceptable and inconsistent with the values we expect from school leaders. We demand that Mary Flock be immediately removed from her position as principal,” she said in Change. I wrote it on .org.
In a statement to Fox News, SBS further emphasised its decision to remove Jimmy from the candidate’s speeches.
St. Bonaventure Catholic School is committed to fostering a Catholic, Christ-centered learning environment that builds a community of respect and integrity. We encourage freedom of speech, recognizing that allowing students to express their thoughts and ideas is important to their growth and development. In line with this, our long-standing policy requires that all student speeches delivered on campus go through an administrative approval process. This practice ensures that the content is appropriate, consistent with the school’s values and our Christian Code of Conduct, and that a respectful tone is maintained. This process applies uniformly to all students, without exception.
If the speech does not receive final approval, the school will adhere to established guidelines, meaning the student will not be allowed to give the speech. In this recent case, school administrators were encouraged by the patriotic words but were discouraged by what were perceived as negative comments and asked to adjust the speech to make it more positive.
We understand the disappointment recent events may have caused. However, in order to maintain the integrity of St. Bonaventure School’s practices and Christ-centered learning environment, we stand by our decisions and policies. We remain committed to maintaining a consistent and equitable approach for all students.
A follow-up post on Instagram by Ruggles claimed that several parents had approached the family after the rally offering support and saying they were “shocked” by the administration’s actions.
“This is not the first time this woman has done something like this,” the mother wrote, without elaborating.
A Change.org petition calling for Flock’s firing has garnered more than 4,500 signatures since it was posted on Sunday.
