Indiana high school student speaks out after going viral for refusing to remove US flag from his truck
East Central High School senior Cameron Blasek, a student in Indiana, is speaking out after he said he was told to remove his American flag from his truck.
"The flag itself represents this country, this beautiful country that we live in," Blasek said in an interview with WCPO. "It also represents the people who fought their lives for it. And I think that’s a really hard thing to talk about, but I think it's a big thing."
Blasek said that he was told by his counselor and vice principal to remove the American flag from his truck, which he refused to do.
"I said, ‘no, that’s not going to happen. I can't,'" Blasek said.
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The flag "abides by U.S. flag code," WCPO reported.
Blasek said that he read through his school handbook and determined that there were no rules preventing him from displaying a flag on his vehicle.
"I read through the Essentials 2023-2024 Handbook, and the word 'flag' wasn't even mentioned in the parking lot or driving section. The only section it's mentioned in is the flag-twirling section," he explained.
Others came displaying American flags on their vehicles soon after that.
"There was a huge support group there that believed and stood for the same thing that I did and I was kind of shocked by that," Blasek said.
A post about Blasek's story online has gone viral, gaining over 6 million total views on X alone.
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On Friday, principal Tom Black sent a message to parents to respond to the American flag controversy.
"I am pleased to inform you that we are allowing the display of the U.S. flag by students in the parking lot," the letter reads, per WCPO.
Black also told the outlet that "no high school staff member or administrators stated or insinuated that the U.S. Flag was offensive, nor has there ever been a complaint received about the U.S. Flag."
"I think everybody gets offended over something that doesn't mean what everybody says it does. This flag represents our country and the people who died for it and fought for it and I respect that with my whole heart."
Black told Fox News Digital in a statement that East Central High School has had a rule for several years "that no flags are allowed on vehicles in our parking lot."
"The rule was never about the US Flag, and it was regarding all flags on vehicles," Black wrote. "This is due to potential safety issues with visibility and 500-600 teenage drivers leaving at the same time during dismissal, as well as concerns that flags that are not appropriate for school will be displayed."
Black wrote that he reminded a student of the preexisting rule. But after consultation with the Superintendent on Friday, the school determined that it could allow the "US Flag while still having the authority to restrict other flags that are deemed inappropriate for school."
"I met with most of the students Friday and informed them that they would be allowed to display the US Flag, but they should respectfully abide by the US Flag Code," Black wrote. "This was before the original social media post. The inaccurate narrative is that we changed our mind due to social media backlash. That is not true, as the timeline reveals."
"We regret and are sorry for the confusion and are working diligently to clarify the issue with our community," Black said.