12-year-old kicked out of class for 'don't tread on me' patch teacher says is associated with slavery
A kid was kicked out of class after teachers claimed a patch on his bag was racist and associated with slavery.
Jaiden Rodriguez is a student at the Vanguard School in Colorado, and was recently removed from class after staff took issue with a flag he had stitched to his backpack.
The patch in question is that of the Gadsden flag, otherwise known as the 'Don't tread on me' flag.
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The 12-year-old was informed by his teacher that he would not be allowed to return to class unless he removed the imagery from his bag.
The young boy's mom, Eden, was then called in to discuss the matter further with the school and to try and get her son to comply with the rules.
In footage released online from that meeting, a member of staff can be seen explaining to Ms Rodriguez what the issue is.
She claims that the flag is not allowed in the school due to its 'origins with slavery and the slave trade'.
However, Ms Rodriguez tells the teacher that the Gadsden flags origins actually lie in the American War of Independence and the rebellion against British rule, and had nothing to do with racism.
The concerned mom suggests there may have been some confusion between the Gadsden flag and the Confederate flag.
But the teacher did not want to hear it, telling the mother and child: "I am here to enforce the policy that was provided, by the district, and definitely, you have every right to not agree to it."
The entire incident caused a huge backlash online, with the school receiving a lot of criticism for the way it handled the situation.
Speaking to News5, Ms Rodriguez said: "I was like, this is wild that this is happening, is this America?
“I do want him to stand up for his rights and (not) say ‘bow down to the government, it's been a tough call to just let him do what he wants and say he's at that age to make his own decisions."
In response to the attention, the Vanguard School claimed the issue was actually with a number of flags on Jaiden's backpack, which were of semi-automatic weapons.
It said this week that he has now been allowed to return to class.
The statement, released on 29 August, read: “There has been National media attention on our charter school, the Vanguard School, related to a student having the Gadsden flag on his backpack. Unfortunately, this story is incomplete.
"The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons. The student has removed the semi-automatic patches.
"As a school district, we will continue to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in a safe and nurturing environment. The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack.
"The Vanguard School and Harrison School District 2 worked in collaboration to resolve this matter.”
Dominic Smithers