High School Student Says He Was Suspended For ‘Blue Lives Matter Flag’ On His Truck
A Jefferson High School student says he was suspended for refusing to take down the flag on his truck.
Student Claims He Was Suspended Over Blue Lives Matter Flag
Cedar Rapids, IA – A Jefferson High School student is still flying the Blue Lives Matter flag on his truck despite a school suspension and their directive to take it down.
Frankie Young said, “To me, it’s to support police that put their lives in danger every day”, according to KCRG.
According to Young, the incident began about two weeks ago when the principal, Chuck McDonnell, asked Young to take the flag off his truck. He refused, and then someone else took it from his truck.
Young reported the theft and vandalism to McDonnell, and said, “Someone ripped it off the back of my truck and put it in a trash can. I went to go tell him (the principal). He said he would do something about it and never did.”
Several Jefferson High School students decided to bring their own U.S. flags in support of Young, who was suspended for one day shortly afterward. Young said that the principal told him that he was suspended because he wouldn’t take the flag down.
Social media posts claim that Young was suspended because he and other students made racial slurs while walking down a hall. Young denied the allegation.
On Sunday morning, a small group of 1st Amendment supporters staged a small protest in front of the high school. The rally’s organizer, Brandon Berry, said, ‘What kind of country are we going to where our youth is being silenced.”
Berry also said that he knows the Young family, and doesn’t believe the accusations of racism. He said that he and others are also dissatisfied with the school’s response to the incident.
In a Facebook post, officials from Jefferson High School said that the information that is being shared on social media is “inaccurate.” They said “No student has been suspended or disciplined for flying an American flag and/or a Blue Lives Matter flag.”
Citing privacy laws, the school has declined to provide the actual reason for the suspension, besides saying that Young was disrupting the learning environment.
Young said he’s not going back to Jefferson High School, but plans on attending Mt. Vernon High School instead. He said, “I wish they would have just told people why they suspended me instead of saying different reasons.”
If you’d like a flag of your own, our partners at Warrior 12 who print our Blue Lives Matter shirt also sell high-quality flags.
