When Edmond North High School in Oklahoma told student Caleb Horst he couldn’t fly an American flag from his truck on school grounds, the community rallied around him, showing their support by placing U.S. flags on their cars and trucks and gathering at the school parking lot on Monday morning.
On August 21, the school informed Horst that displaying the flag on his truck was not allowed, despite the fact that he had been doing so for quite some time, according to KOCO.
“I’ve never really had problems with it before, and it’s our First Amendment, so it’s kind of hard for them to infringe upon our rights,” Horst said. The Edmond Public Schools district attempted to justify the decision by stating that this was a common “practice” at the school, though it is not an official policy.
“It is the practice of Edmond Public Schools to not permit students to fly or bring flags of any kind on our school campuses. This practice has been in place for several years and is explained to our students at the start of the school year along with various other policies and procedures. This is designed to prevent disruptions and distractions during the school day.
It is also done in an effort to provide a safe school environment as flying flags on vehicles creates safety issues in the parking lot as well as can cause damage to other vehicles,” the school said in a statement on Thursday.
The school district emphasized that the decision wasn’t about the American flag or patriotism. “Edmond Public Schools proudly displays the American flag prominently and in the proper, respectful way outside each of our buildings and in our classrooms.
Not only do we recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning as we start our school day, but we also present the colors and play the national anthem at most of our athletic events. All of these things are done in the proper fashion according to flag etiquette.”
Despite the explanation, many students and parents remained outraged by the decision. They expressed their frustration by gathering at the school on Monday morning, with more than 50 vehicles displaying flags in the parking lot by 7 a.m.
Many of the participants recited the Pledge of Allegiance as part of the protest. “In the end, we’re all American, all united under that flag, and there’s not anything anyone can do to separate us,” Horst said.
Vance Miller, another high school senior, echoed these sentiments, explaining that he flew the flag in honor of his brother who is serving in the military. “He’s fighting for that flag so we should be allowed to fly it. It represents us, it’s unity, it represents us as one and it’s our freedom. We have people that fight and die for that flag every day, so I think we should be allowed to fly it,” Miller said. “It’d be different if we were trying to make a political statement, but there’s nothing political about it.”
The controversy has even drawn attention from state officials. Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters responded on X, saying, “Kids in Oklahoma should be allowed to display the American flag and not be punished for being patriotic. New guidelines will be issued concerning the flag and honoring our country,” Walters promised, assuring that the new policies would “ensure no student is ever targeted for having an American flag.”