(UnitedVoice.com) – The Gadsden Flag, known as the Don’t Tread on Me flag, dates back to the American Revolutionary War. Continental Army General Christopher Gadsden created it as a sign of unity against the British. A child was recently booted from class over it.
On August 28, 12-year-old Jaiden, a middle school student at The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was told to leave class. He wasn’t being disruptive or disrespectful while in school. Instead, he was reportedly told to remove a Gadsden Flag patch from his backpack. When he refused, administrators removed him from class.
In a video posted on X, formerly Twitter, an administrator is heard telling the young boy that they do not want the flag displayed in school because of “its origins with slavery and slave trade.” Except the flag doesn’t originate from either one of those events.
Meet 12yo Jaiden who was kicked out of class yesterday in Colorado Springs for having a Gadsden flag patch, which the school claims has "origins with slavery."
The school's director said via email that the patch was "disruptive to the classroom environment."
Receipts in the 🧵 pic.twitter.com/qQ8jK1zSpR
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 29, 2023
During the conversation with the administrator, Jaiden’s mother corrected the woman and told her the flag dates back to the Revolutionary War when America was declaring its independence. She went on to ask the administrator if she was mistaking it for the Confederate flag. The admin stood firm and refused to allow the pre-teen to return to class, blaming the decision on the district’s rules.
The person who shared the original video, Connor Boyack, who serves as president of Libertas Institute, updated the public about the incident on August 29. He shared a copy of an email from The Vanguard School Board of Directors. When its members heard what happened, they called an emergency meeting.
We won! #JusticeForJaiden pic.twitter.com/Y8dX43e9Sp
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
The board stated that the school has “proudly supported [America’s] Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and ordered liberty” since its founding. The Board also stated that they recognize the “historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history.” For those reasons, they allowed the student to return to school and said he could display the flag on his backpack.
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