A Virginia teenager is making headlines for his defiant stance against his high school which demanded that he remove the American flags that he was flying from his pickup truck. He refused and will be completing his education through homeschooling instead.
“My family fought for America, and I feel like I should be able to represent the flags that they fought for,” Christopher Hartless told WSET.
He was told by officials at Staunton River High School in Bedford County that he had to remove the two large flags that were mounted to the back of his pickup truck, an order that the patriotic young man believes is a violation of his First Amendment rights.
The school explained that the flying of the flags was a distraction and that such large flags were not permitted to be flown for safety reasons, according to WSET. After he declined to comply, the school’s administration stripped him of his parking pass, forcing Hartless to ride the bus for transportation.
“I don’t understand how it’s a distraction if they have one on the flagpole that every other student can see,” the high school senior said.
(Video: YouTube/WSET)
“If this is what he is believing in, me and his dad are both going to stand behind him all the way to the end of it,” said his stepmom Christina Kingery who pulled him out of the school because she didn’t want him to ride the bus and will now homeschool him.
“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,” she said.
A student in Virginia said he defied his high school after administrators told him to remove the American flags from his truck Christopher Hartless said he was told to take down the flags they were a distraction but he refused, saying he was exercising his First Amendment right pic.twitter.com/g97DC2nqXI
— Carlos Perez (@CarlosP95095856) August 24, 2023
In a statement sent to parents, the school said, “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 read, according to the local news outlet.
“‘Attire that has language or images that are offensive, profane, vulgar, discriminatory, or racially/culturally divisive. This would include confederate flags, swastikas, KKK references, or any other images that might reasonably be considered hurtful or intimidating to others.’ It does not include wearing clothing with American flag logos or prints on attire,” the school said of the Bedford County Public Schools (BCPS) policy in an email to Fox News Digital.
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