The superintendent of Oklahoma's public schools district has taken action after the district tried to stop a state teenager from flying an American flag on the back of a pickup truck.
A few weeks ago, Caleb Horst arrived on the campus of Edmond North High School in Edmond, Oklahoma, with an American flag in the bed of his truck. The high school senior claimed the flag had been there for “quite a while,” but school officials told him it was against the rules and needed to be removed within a few days, The Blaze News previously reported.
These reports should include “concrete steps” administrators are taking to “integrate” these acts of American pride into “school culture.”
The Edmond Public Schools district, located just north of Oklahoma City, said at the time that it was a common “practice” to prohibit students from bringing any flags onto school grounds to ensure safety and prevent “disruption and distractions during class time.”
At 7 a.m. on Aug. 26, a group of more than 50 patriots from the school and community gathered at Edmond North High School to protest the flag ban and to support Mr. Holst.
Now, Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters has stepped in on behalf of Holst and other like-minded students, creating guidelines for school districts to protect students' rights to display the American flag.
According to Walters' new guidelines, all school districts in Oklahoma must have policies “ensuring that the United States flag may be flown and displayed without infringement on all school property.” Walters also encouraged districts to adopt policies that promote the “respectful display of the flag” and to ensure that students and faculty give the flag “due respect.”
The guidelines also require school districts to submit reports to the Oklahoma Department of Education about their compliance with the new flag policy and state law requiring reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at least once a week. Those reports must also include “specific steps” administrators are taking to “integrate” these shows of American pride into “school culture,” according to a letter outlining the guidelines.
“Oklahoma schools should not be teaching students that they cannot wave the American flag,” Walters said in a statement released Thursday. “Americans have fought and died for the right to fly our flag, and students should not be targeted for exercising that right. Young people should never be afraid to show their patriotism, and I will fight every day to ensure that when students wish to express their love for America, they can do so boldly and proud.”
A letter from his office similarly stated that “no student should be targeted for their patriotism.”
Meanwhile, the Edmond district continues to uphold its previous flag ban. In a letter issued after patriots gathered to protest the district's strict restrictions on the American flag, Superintendent Angela Grunewald argued that the practice was instituted seven years ago because the flag was “displayed inappropriately and with great disrespect.” Coco Reported.
The district also insisted its members are “proud and patriotic” and will work to develop clearer policies going forward, according to KOCO.
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