This article is from MSN this morning from San Francisco.
Students Kicked Off Campus for Wearing American Flag Tees
On any other day at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, Daniel Galli and his four friends would not even be noticed for wearing T-shirts with the American flag . But Cinco de Mayo is not any typical day especially on a campus with a large Mexican American student population.
Galli says he and his friends were sitting at a table during brunch break when the vice principal asked two of the boys to remove American flag bandannas that they wearing on their heads and for the others to turn their American flag T-shirts inside out. When they refused, the boys were ordered to go to the principal's office.
"They said we could wear it on any other day," Daniel Galli said, "but today is sensitive to Mexican-Americans because it's supposed to be their holiday so we were not allowed to wear it today."
The boys said the administrators called their T-shirts "incendiary" that would lead to fights on campus.
"They said if we tried to go back to class with our shirts not taken off, they said it was defiance and we would get suspended," Dominic Maciel, Galli's friend, said.
The boys really had no choice, and went home to avoid suspension. They say they're angry they were not allowed to express their American pride. Their parents are just as upset, calling what happened to their children, "total nonsense."
"I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Julie Fagerstrom, Maciel's mom, said. "All they were doing was displaying their patriotic nature. They're expressing their individuality."
But to many Mexican-American students at Live Oak, this was a big deal. They say they were offended by the five boys and others for wearing American colors on a Mexican holiday.
"I think they should apologize cause it is a Mexican Heritage Day," Annicia Nunez, a Live Oak High student, said. "We don't deserve to be get disrespected like that. We wouldn't do that on Fourth of July ."
As for an apology, the boys and their families say, "fat chance."
"I'm not going to apologize. I did nothing wrong," Galli said. "I went along with my normal day. I might have worn an American flag, but I'm an American and I'm proud to be an American."
The five boys and their families met with a Morgan Hill Unified School District official Wednesday night. The district released a statement saying it does not agree with how Live Oak High School administrators handled this incident.
The boys will not be suspended and they were told they can go back to school Thursday. They may even wear their red, white, and blue colors again, but this time, the day after Cinco de Mayo , there will be no controversy.
Okay...ARE YOU SERIOUS???? San Francisco is in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Of course they can wear their american flag shirts. It is not disrespectful. I have seen plenty of hispanics fly their colors on the 4th of July...it was HUGE in Redwood City, CA. But did anyone get in trouble for that...of course not because that would be Racist. Only one state in Mexico even celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French Army. The United States does celebrate to honor the ancestry of Mexican Americans...we also celebrate St. Patrick's Day and the Chinese New Year. But you don't see kids getting thrown out of school because they're wearing Red, White and Blue on these holidays. Maybe pinched on March 17th but not suspended.
I love the Hispanics. But OH MY GOODNESS I have about had it! If you are coming to an AMERICAN country then you must respect that. You are here...you chose to be here...this is AMERICA where FREEDOM reins and we should not be getting in trouble for being PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. It is not disrespectful to wear an American shirt when you are an American...it's disrespectful to expect someone to hide their PRIDE because it is a holiday your country doesn't even recognize.
Okay..I think I'm good.
I would just like to say...I AM AMERICAN AND PROUD!
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