Indiana School Apologizes After Asking a Student to Remove American Flag from His Truck
School officials at East Central High School in Indiana have issued an apology after a student went viral for sharing administrators’ request that he remove the American flag from his truck.
Cameron Blasek, a senior at the high school, made headlines after it was revealed that his school counselor and vice-principal requested that he remove the American flag that he proudly flies on his truck. The school principal, Thomas Black, informed Blasek that the school had the right to ask him to remove the flag since his truck was parked on school property. However, Blasek challenged this assertion, citing school guidelines and Indiana state laws that supported his right to display the flag.
“I kind of just told them straight up from the get-go, I said, ‘It’s not gonna happen,’” Blasek said in an interview with Fox News. “I read them their own handbook and I read them all the guidelines and I read them Indiana State laws and everything that shows them that I’m perfectly legal and fine to fly that flag.”
Blasek’s immediate refusal prompted further scrutiny from the school, which threatened him with insubordination if he did not comply with the request. Additionally, Black later admitted that the request to remove the flag was not a result of any one individual or group’s complaint about Blasek’s display of the flag.
The unfolding situation quickly gained attention on social media after Blasek’s mother shared a post on Facebook which was later reposted by Libs of TikTok on X.
Amidst the story going viral, nearly two dozen students at the school were seen on Friday also displaying the U.S. flag on their vehicles to show support for Blasek.
Now, due to significant backlash and public pressure, the school is walking back its request and has issued a formal apology.
“After careful consideration and in recognition of the importance of the U.S. flag as a symbol of unity and national identity, I am pleased to inform you that we are allowing the display of the U.S. flag by students in the East Central High School parking lot,” Principal Black said in a signed letter.
“I would like to extend my sincere apologies for any confusion that may have arisen due to the initial lack of clarity on this matter,” he continued.
Just last year, a 12-year-old student was sent home from school for displaying a patch with the Gadsden flag on his backpack which read “Don’t tread on me,” an iconic symbol from the American Revolutionary War. After garnering national media attention, the school district was forced to permit the student to display the historic flag while at school.
