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Now that my diploma, flag, and transcripts are liberated and returned to me, it's time to tell the story. Early on the morning of Friday, May 9, I raised a yellow "Don't Tread on Me" (Gadsden) flag in place of the school flag, underneath the American Flag on our pole at Central High School. (As a senior prank, of sorts.) I also posted a short history lesson on the Gadsden flag on the flag pole, as well as an explanation stating that the posting of the flag was not to push any political affiliation, but rather to encourage historical and contemporary discussion about our student rights. What happened next appalled me. I was called in (by a no less than livid, screaming principal), told I was "not welcome" at Central, and my diploma and transcripts were held until after my graduation walk. She also confiscated my flag. The funny part? The principal admitted that I had broken no law, policy, or rule. So my property was confiscated without due process (I believe this is theft under CO state law), I was denied access to a public institution because the principal didn't like what I did. (As far as I know, that can only happen if I'm a health, safety, or welfare risk.) That's the only reason that I can gather from this. I pushed the envelope to the line, but didn't cross it, and the principal wrongfully and without base, used her power for personal revenge. I let previous things like this slide, but it's time to speak up and make this go viral. Administrators all over the US are excising power that they do not have over students and other adults. Students are being taught to obey baseless authority and to never question anything. Is that the real message we want to be sending our children, who are the future of this country? She claimed the flag was a "slap in the face" to the school. How can this flag be a slap in the face, if it was born from the very revolution that made us a free country? The royal marines marched in the revolution with this symbol on their drums. A similar flag was raised by John Paul Jones on an American naval ship on December 3, 1775. The United states Navy still flies a similar, but striped version of the flag on its warships. The Gadsden flag has almost an identical history to the American flag, and was born from a very patriotic cause, and its suddenly a "slap in the face." This shows the ignorance and misinformation of the people in power over our children. History like this used to be taught in schools all over the United states, and now not even most adults, let alone high school age people know what this flag stands for. The word about this needs to be spread. Because I can no longer try and educate the population at Central High School, it is up to the public. All of this aside though, is this really the way to react to a senior prank in which nothing was vandalized and no one was hurt? I would expect a more mature response from a grown adult than screaming and abuse of power.
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-Greg