Indiana Teen Faces Down School Flag Ban. Who’s Right, School or Teen?
Flying the American flag from the back of a vehicle, especially a pickup truck, has become a summer sight for many years. Some people love to show their patriotism and proudly fly the flag all year long. Others wait until Memorial Day and fly it until Labor Day. An Indiana teen was directed to remove the American flag on his truck while at his high school. Is the school right or the teen?
Can you fly the American flag from your vehicle respectfully?
The American flag appears on many things in our lives. Some of which violate the Flag Code, but flying a flag on your vehicle isn’t one of those instances. Flying a flag from a truck or other vehicle is perfectly acceptable. The flag must not interfere with the driver’s field of view or obstruct the vehicle’s operation.
When flying a flag from the rear of a pickup truck, it’s good etiquette to fly it either mounted in the center or on the passenger side of the vehicle.
Strangely, when displayed on the passenger side, the flag should be backward. This places the stars at the upper right-hand corner. The stars are to be in the highest position of honor, which is the closest to the front.
It is disrespectful to drape the flag over a hood, trunk, or truck bed.
Should the Indiana teen take his American flag off his truck?
The school administration at East Central High School, a public school in Indiana, directed a teen to remove the flag flying from his truck. The flag in question is an American flag. The teen presents this flag properly on his vehicle. The teen quoted the school handbook and Indiana State Law, showing he wasn’t violating either. Still the school administration threatened a write-up for insubordination, if he didn’t remove the flag while on school grounds.
An act of unity
Once word got out about this attempt to ban the American flag, other students did exactly what you would expect them to do. They drove to school in cars and trucks, displaying the American flag in an act of unity. More than two dozen student vehicles drove to the school with flags on them (unfortunately, some students draped their flags on their vehicles, which isn’t allowed). This made it difficult for school officials to take action against any of them.
Was the school or the teen right?
In this scenario, the teen was right. With nothing specifically written the school handbook or any violation of Indiana State Law, he is well within his rights to display his American flag on his truck. According to a Libs of TikTok post, the school intends to add a flag ban on vehicles to the handbook beginning next year.
Students at East Central High School might not be allowed to fly the American flag on their vehicles next year. If the school handbook changes to meet the will of the current administration, flags won’t be on display in the school’s parking lot. Considering this is a public school in America, it begs the question of why?
Source: Car and Driver
