School tells student the American Flag not allowed on school property

Ummmm...isn't there a huge flag pole at the front of the school with the American flag on it? I thought all schools had one. Also...who complains about the American flag offending them? We are all Americans therefore no matter what color you are it IS YOUR FLAG if you are an American citizens. And if you are NOT an American citizen you don't have a right to complain. You can NOT go to another country and then complain when that country and it's people display that country's flag. If you are offended by the flag...leave the country and go back to your own country. It is really shocking how this kind of thing happens. Not just this but also other situations where schools have told kids to STOP being patriotic or being proud of their country and it's flag. Why we do allow it? We have people dying for this country and that flag RIGHT NOW. Schools should be teaching kids to be proud of this country and the proud of that flag. It makes me wonder...if they are doing this...what are they teaching the kids in history class?

Ugg. I just got through fussin' about this kind of crap on a discussion earlier. It seems like people go out of their way to make sure that one person out there somewhere that may be offended isn't offended. It's cleaner and easier to take rights away from people than to have to deal with one idiot crying out that the American flag offends them. So instead of standing up for something, people preemptively fall over and make everyone else fall with them. And I have to believe that the person saying an American flag may cause racial tensions probably sees the flag and thinks "America is evil and racist" a little bit too. And obviously it's hypothetical, as I don't know what else is going on out there, but I can't see this happening to another country's flag. This stuff is beyond backwards. Shame on the tool forcing a kid to remove an American flag from his bike.

Wow! I must say that I am really surprosed to hear about this! One thing I have noticed whenever I have visited the flag is everywhere:-) In Sweden, wgere I am from, we have had this problem for ages where its been condidered racist to wave the Swedish flag around. But how can it be racist? I have never been offended as a visitor to a foreign country to see that nations flag displayed. To me, national pride and racism are two very different things. I currently live and work in another European country and I have NEVER even though of questioning if seeing the country's flag displayed means that I am not welcome. Sigh - I feel sorry for Cody! This might be a silly question but I thought all American students pledged allegiance to the flag every morning?

The whole point is the country is I may do or say something that might offend someone and they have the right to be offended and express it but they don't have the right to stop me from being offensive unless I cross the line and threaten someone or violate their rights to be Offended. In this country we have Freedom and that includes the Freedom to be offended from time to time. So is the school taking down the flag off the flag Pole too? I mean really if someone is offended they could always fly their own flag of some other coutry that is allowed in the United States for you to fly a British, Iranian or any other countries flag as well as the United States or you could just fly the other coutries flag if you so choose. You should have the freedom to fly what ever flag and the United States flag is not a Symbol of Racism as it is a symbol of Freedom.

I've been hearing about this all morning and it's ridiculous. The citizens of a country should be able to display their flag proudly, wherever they want. Curtailing that right of free expression is against the Constitution. It's time we started claiming this country for its citizens and standing up for our rights. Don't let petty bureaucrats force us to adapt our behavior to kowtow to other nationalities. Teach the visitors how to behave in someone else's home. If they don't like it, leave. I'm getting very sick of all this crap.

There is a big problem within that Middle School, and the board members should take greater responsibility in telling their students that there is no problem with an American flag. Students learn from there teachers, and in this case it is the opposite. Teachers and staff within that district may even be learning from the students who are complaining. In my view these staff members should be penalized for lack of responsibility. There is nothing wrong with the American flag, and any tensions arising from students, is that pupils own problem. Rather than letting that become a less of a problem, it has turned into a big problem here. Kids like Cody need to get their voices heard, as this Capital of America preaches free expression of speech. In the end teachers need to teach students and stop letting students boss them around.

This is the kind of garbage I keep pointing to whenever someone says it was wrong for Sarah Palin to call a group of people "Pro-America". There is no question, whatsoever, that some people in this country are flat out ANTI-America. I think those people should just get the fark out and move to some place like Cuba or Venezuela where they can be proud of their country and actually enjoy the presence of their respective flag.

This burns my a$$... And the flag's removal offends me terribly

I know a little about American culture.Maybe it is reasonable but you have been aware of it.

It's weird. You are not allowed to fly your own country's flag in your own country?

This is so typical I'm definately not supprised that this happened in California. Since when is the American flag a source of racial tension I mean even if there are Arabs in the school they more than likely came to this country to escape persicution in their homeland and shouldn't be offended by their new home's flag. Most American Arabs that I know are very strong patriots. We have become so worried about offending the minority that the rest of the people have to sit by and wonder what fricking country they are living in when did we wake up and realize that we aren't living in America anymore? What about this little boy's right to free speech? It's not like he came to school in a t-shirt with a half-naked woman on it he had an american flag on his bike to honor his grand-dad a veteran. I mean what is wrong with this country when these men go off and fight they should be able to come home, get off the plane, and still know where the hell they are.