A high school student in Oklahoma is drawing widespread support after he was told he could not fly the American flag from his truck.
Edmond North High School senior Caleb Horst said school officials told him on Aug. 21 that it was school practice to not bring flags onto campus. However, Horst told local news station KOCO that he's been flying the flag from his truck "for quite a while" without any problems.
"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.
On Monday morning before classes started, students and parents rallied to support Horst and the right to fly the flag. According to KOCO, about 50 vehicles displaying American flags circled the school in protest.
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"I’ve got a brother in the military so it kind of hit home to me ‘cause I was like he’s fighting for that flag, we should be allowed to fly it. It’d be different if we were trying to make a political statement, but there’s nothing political about it," Edmond North senior Vance Miller said.
"If it's the flag today, what is it tomorrow?" Lynn McNeely, one parent of an Edmond North student said. "It’s not a protest. It’s not political. It’s not about red. It’s not about blue. It’s about red, white and blue. So, where do we draw the line?"
"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.
Edmond Public Schools denied their stance on flag flying had anything to do with patriotism. They told KOCO the practice was about safety and to avoid becoming a distraction.
"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," Edmond Public School officials said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
"To be clear, this is not 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."
The controversy caught the attention of Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters and "Dukes of Hazzard" star John Schneider, who posted videos online in support of the student.
Walters said on Monday that the state would be issuing new guidelines to districts regarding students' rights to fly the American flag.
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"No school in Oklahoma should tell students they can't wave an American flag. We've had Americans die for that flag, die for students to have the right to carry the flag, to wave the flag, to be proud of that American flag," Walters said in a video posted to X. "My department right now is working on guidelines that we will be issuing to districts to ensure that no student is ever targeted for having an American flag and also that our schools will promote patriotism."
Schneider praised the student on social media, ending his video with a "yeehaw!"
"I want to applaud Caleb Horst and all of the wonderful people who are supporting him in Edmond, Oklahoma," he said in a video posted to Facebook. "Everyone who has shown up with flags on their trucks and flags on their cars, these are the kinds of people we need to not only support but shout their names and their patriotism from our rooftops and from our bumpers."
