California School Officials Force Student To Remove American Flag From His Bicycle

From KSBW Channel 8, Montery, California and Alliance Defense Fund:

School Forces Boy To Take Flag Off Bike


Officials Seek To Avoid Tension On Campus

POSTED: 1:32 pm PST November 11, 2010

UPDATED: 8:14 am PST November 12, 2010

DENAIR, Calif. -- A Stanislaus County school is forcing a student to take an American flag off of his bike.

http://www.ksbw.com/r/25763175/detail.html">School Forces Boy To Take Flag Off Bike - News Story - KSBW The Central Coast




Thirteen-year-old Cody Alicea put the flag there as a show of support for the veterans in his family.



But officials at Denair Middle School told him he couldn't fly it. He said he was told some students had complained.



So now the eighth-grader folds up the flag and puts it in his backpack while he is in class.



His father, Robert Kisner, said his son should not have to put the flag away.



"He's got that flag on his bike because he's proud of where he comes from," Kisner said.



But the superintendent said he's trying to avoid tension on campus.



"(The) First Amendment is important," Superintendent Edward Parraz said. "We want the kids to respect it, understand it, and with that comes a responsiblity."



Parraz said the campus has recently experienced some racial tension. He said some students got out of hand on Cinco de Mayo.



"Our Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they'll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don't really want," Parraz said. "We want them to appreciate the cultures."



Parraz said if a disruption arises over a flag, they want it to be taken down to protect the safety of all students.



The teen's mother said she hopes to talk to the school principal to work something out.



Outside of the school, a large U.S. flag flies from atop a flagpole.



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