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A 12-year-old boy who was kicked out of class for having a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack will be allowed to keep wearing it. Connor Boyack, who helped the story gain traction earlier in the week, shared a screenshot of an email from the Vanguard School Board of Directors on X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter.
The email said that the boy, Jacien, could continue to wear the patch on his backpack.
"From Vanguard's founding, we have proudly supported our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the ordered liberty that all Americans have enjoyed for almost 250 years," the email says. "The Vanguard School recognizes the historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history. This incident is an occasion for us to reaffirm our deep commitment to a classical education in support of these American principles."
The story of Jacien went viral earlier in the week, when Boyack shared a video of a meeting between Jacien, his mom, and an unidentified school administrator. In the video, the school official tells Jacien and his mom that the Gadsden flag patch was "disruptive" and had "origins with slavery and slave trade."
Jacien's mother pushed back, pointing out that the flag's origins were in the Revolutionary War and had nothing to do with slavery.
Despite the protests, the school administrator maintained her position and said that Jacien would have to remove the patch to return to class.
Now, the Board of Directors overturned her decision, allowing Jacien to keep the patch. However, they clarified some aspects of the story in a statement to KOAA. The Board explained that Jacien also had several patches depicting semi-automatic weapons. They noted that Jacien had removed those patches from his backpack.
"The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons. The student has removed the semi-automatic patches. As a school district, we will continue to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in a safe and nurturing environment. The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack," the Board of Directors said.