Four teens sent home for wearing red, white and blue on Cinco de
Mayo are the focus of national media attention today as their story
went viral after Live Oak High School officials asked the students
to turn their American flag T-shirts inside-out to quell any
confrontations.
Four teens sent home for wearing red, white and blue on Cinco de Mayo are the focus of national media attention today as their story went viral after Live Oak High School officials asked the students to turn their American flag T-shirts inside-out to quell any confrontations.
At least four Bay Area TV news stations set up camp in front of Live Oak High School this morning following a firestorm of outrage from both sides. Mexican-American students felt the students were being disrespectful on the only day they celebrate their heritage. While students sporting red, white and blue said it violated their First Amendment rights. It was originally thought that five students were sent home, but one did return to class Wednesday.
At 10:30 a.m. today, a group of Mexican students walked out of Live Oak in protest. In addition, some students were seen wearing red, white and blue in support of the four students. Some teens spread the word on Facebook since Wednesday’s incident encouraging Live Oak students to show their patriotism by wearing their colors.
Live Oak officials were silent on the issue and asked that TV crews stay near the street in front of the school. So far, no further comment has been made since Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden told the students they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or face suspension. The parents of the students met them on campus and took the four students as an unexcused absence.
Uncle Sam even embarked onto Live Oak this morning in the form of John Massina, a San Jose resident, who said he was so enraged that he drove to Morgan Hill to protest.
“I’m terribly upset that these patriotic students were sent home,” Massina said. “I wanted to make a statement. This is absolutely wrong.”
The four students met with Assistant Superintendent Jay Totter Wednesday evening at the district headquarters and they said Totter said what happened to them was wrong and “they would take care of it.”
It’s unclear at this time what was meant by that comment.
Officials at the school chose not to comment on the situation Wednesday, but one student said an official called the T-shirts “incendiary.”
“They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire,” said sophomore Matt Dariano.
The Morgan Hill Unified School District issued this statement: “In an attempt to foster a spirit of cultural awareness and maintain a safe and supportive school environment, the Live Oak High School administration took certain actions earlier today.
“The district does not concur with the Live Oak High School administration’s interpretation of either board or district policy related to these actions.”
Five teens were sitting at a table outside during their brunch break about 10:10 a.m. when Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez asked two boys to take off their American flag bandannas. The boys said they complied. In the same conversation, sophomore Dominic Maciel said, Rodriguez told the group to “walk with him to the office.”
Dariano called his mother Diana, who spread the word to the other parents, who all arrived soon after to have a conference with Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden. The group said they were not instigating anything and did what they always do at break – sit and talk and eat.
A parent of two Live Oak students, Teresa Casillas, said the American-flag wearing students were yelling “We live in America!” at the brunch break. She said her children were upset by their behavior at school, calling it disrespectful.
“We’re all offended by it,” Casillas said. She said parents of all ethnicities she spoke with felt that way. “Morgan Hill is too small of a community to start any racial wars. This is just bringing it out a little bit more.”
The boys were told they must turn their T-shirts inside-out or be sent home – and that it would not be considered a suspension – but that Rodriguez did not want any fights to break out among Mexican-American students and those wearing American flags. Dariano said other students were wearing American flags but since they were a group of five “we were the easiest target to cause trouble” according to Rodriguez, he said.
