A high school in Virginia has told a teenager to remove his U.S. flags from his truck. The teenager, who has not been named, has decided to homeschool instead.
The school’s principal said that the flags were a distraction and that they could be seen as a political statement. The teenager said that he was simply expressing his patriotism and that he did not mean to cause any trouble.
“My family fought for America and I feel like I should be able to represent the flag that they fought for,” Hartless said.“I don’t understand how it’s distracting if they have one on the flagpole that every other student can see.”
His stepmother, Christina Kingery, chimed in, “I told my son if this is what he’s believing in, then we are both going to stand behind him all the way. … “If they’re willing to change and let kids want to fly the American flag, then I’ll put him back in Staunton River… possibly put him back in Staunton River, but if they don’t, then I’m going to continue to let him fly his flags.”
“I think that every student doesn’t matter what you believe in, what flag you fly, as long as it’s not harmful and it doesn’t disgrace our country, you have the right to fly it,” she concluded.
The school sent an explanation for their actions to parents that read, “The student parking contract, which has been used by all 3 of our high schools for many years, states, ‘Large flags or banners are not allowed to be flown or displayed on vehicles due to their distractive nature…’”
“Please be assured that we proudly fly the American flag throughout the school, and the Pledge of Allegiance is recited every morning,” the statement continued.
Virginia's Staunton River High School officials told teen student Christopher Hartless to remove these American flags from his truck.
He refused to comply and will be homeschooled for the rest of his senior year. 🇺🇸🛻🇺🇸https://t.co/AggqD3fhSl pic.twitter.com/C8AqeXgOZD
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) August 24, 2023
