A viral video circulating on X, this week, shows 12-year-old Jaiden, an elementary school student in Colorado Springs, Colorado, being removed from class at The Vanguard School, for having a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack. The "DON'T TREAD ON ME" flag is named for Christopher Gadsden, a South Carolina delegate to the Continental Congress and brigadier general in the Continental Army who designed the flag in 1775 during the American Revolution against British rule.
The video clip apparently recorded by the boy's mother, shows her and Jaiden as they discussed the dispute with a school administrator.
"So, the reason that they do not want the flag -- the reason we do not want the flag displayed -- is due to its origins with slavery and slave trade," the school staffer says.
"The Gadsden Flag?" Jaiden’s mother asked, to which the staffer replied, "The ‘Don’t Tread on Me.’"
The mother asked what would happen if Jaiden didn’t remove the patch, to which the staffer said, "The bag can’t go back if it’s got the patch on it because we can’t have that in and around other kids."
Jaiden’s mother pushed back. "Yeah, it has nothing to do with slavery, that’s like the Revolutionary War patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British." She asked if maybe the woman was mistaking it for the Confederate flag. But the staffer responded, "I am here to enforce the policy that was provided by the district, and definitely you have every right not to agree with it."
Jaiden and his mom pointed out to the administrator, the fact that other kids have patches on their backpacks. The mother added that she did not understand the policy that was being enforced.
The staffer eventually offered to put Jaiden’s mother in touch with Jeff Yocum, The Vanguard School’s director of operations.
Screenshots of the email correspondence between Yocum and Jaiden’s mother after her meeting at the school, was obtained and shared on X, by Libertas Institute President Connor Boyack.
As the emails revealed, Yocum cited reports from mainstream news outlets that linked the Gadsden flag to racism.
Yocum cited The Conversation media network, which featured a quote from Iowa State University graphic design professor Paul Bruski, that said, "Because of its creator’s history and because it is commonly flown alongside Trump 2020 flags, the Confederate battle flag and other white supremacist flags, some may now see the Gadsden flag as a symbol of intolerance and hate – or even racism."
Yocum also shared a Washington Post article that detailed a case in which the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ordered the U.S. Postal Service to investigate a complaint made by one of its employees, who said that a co-worker who wore a Gadsden flag hat to work amounted to racial discrimination.
The EEOC never made any judgment on whether racial discrimination came from the flag in that specific case, and on its website, it said it "did not find that the Gadsden Flag in fact is a racist symbol."
However, the EEOC also said the flag has been "interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts."
Apparently, the woke opinions of left-wing media outlets and EEOC bureaucrats meet the standard to justify Yocum and The Vanguard School’s decision against Jaiden.
Boyack also shared a portion of the correspondence that reportedly showed how Yocum said the patch violated the school’s policy against symbols that "Refer to drugs, tobacco, alcohol, or weapons."
Following the incident, Jaiden apparently posed in front of a school employee's car for a photo. Several far-left bumper stickers can be seen on the car. Hypocrisy?
Reactions to the viral video were damning, with many critics decrying the penetration of woke propaganda even in elementary schools where students do not care or understand such divisive interpretation of a respected American symbol. Gadsden flags are common among various groups and protest movements in America.
"For those asking for an update: - Jaiden decided to go back to school today," Boyack wrote Tuesday on X. "With his patch will in place. He said he'd do a sit-in if necessary to protest. - Two law firms have stepped forward to assist as necessary to fight the viewpoint discrimination. - Lots of media interest. Mom and son will likely be on Hannity tonight, other outlets covering too - No known response yet from the school or district offices - Colorado governor tweeted about it, disagreeing with the school. (No word yet if he'll pick up a phone and tell them to knock it off.) - Jaiden sent me a video telling me his favorite Tuttle Twins book (It's the Creature from Jekyll Island.) - He is campaigning to be school president. The tri-corner hat is part of his shtick. Super patriotic kid!"
The Vanguard School board has since caved to public pressure and decided to let Jaiden keep the the Gadsden flag patch. They wrote in part:
WATCH Jaiden and his mother discuss the boy's removal from school over the Gadsden flag.