Indiana school facing backlash after forcing student to remove American flag from truck
ST. LEON, Ind. (WISH) — A high school in southeastern Indiana came under fire on Thursday after forcing a student to remove an American flag from his vehicle.
The student’s mother relayed the events in a social media post.
Cameron Blasek, a senior at East Central High School in St. Leon, was called into the principal’s office on Thursday and was told to remove the flag or be written up for insubordination.
The post says that after being told to take the flag off his truck, he pulled out the school’s handbook and “pointed out that nowhere in the handbook does it mention the word flag or that you can not have a flag on your vehicle.”
Blasek also cited federal law, which says it is legal to fly the American flag as long as safety laws are followed.
Following the incident, around two dozen students rallied behind Blasek, showing up at the school with American flags on their vehicles.
The school later reversed the decision.
Principal Tom Black said in a letter issued to community members on Friday, “After careful consideration and in recognition of the importance of the US flag as a symbol of unity and national identity, I am pleased to inform you that we are allowing the display of the US flag by students in the East Central High School parking lot.”
The post added that the administration told Blasek that the school’s handbook would be updated in the 2024-25 school year to say students can’t fly American flags in the parking lot.
The school did not say in the letter if flying flags in the parking lot would be banned next school year.
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St. Leon is in Dearborn County, a little over an hour’s drive from downtown Indianapolis.