Teacher refuses to hang student's drawing of American flag...

[posty 2,817]

http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/franklin/Controversy-over-child%27s-flag-drawing

 

ORANGE, Mass. (WWLP) - A civil rights controversy is brewing at an elementary school in the Town of Orange, and it all surrounds an11 year-old's drawing of the American Flag.

 

The family of Frankie Girard is claiming that their son's civil rights were violated after a teacher allegedly told him that hanging his picture of the American flag would offend another student.

 

The Butterfield Elementary School is at the center of controversy for the incident on Monday. According to Frankie Girard’s father, John, the boy was in art class drawing a picture.

 

"He was denied hanging the flag up. And, he asked if he could just even hang it on his desk, and he was told no. He could take the picture that he drew and take it home and be proud of it there,” Girard said.

 

So, that is where it is, among the hundreds of other family pictures and military honors that adorn the walls of the Girard family home.

 

According to his father, the teacher told Frankie that his drawing of the American Flag would offend one of his classmates. "We’re allowing him to display his civil rights and be proud of who he is, but we’re denying Franklin those same rights," Girard said.

 

22News tried to contact the Superintendent, Dr. Paul Burnim. He refused to go on camera, but told 22News over the phone that nobody ever told Franklin the drawing was offensive, and said the only reason it wasn't hung was because Franklin was supposed to be doing other work; not drawing a picture. In a statement he said: "Each of our schools flies the American Flag every day. At the Butterfield School, the Pledge of Allegiance is recited by students and staff. And the other schools recite the Pledge of Allegiance at least once per week."

 

The controversy is stirring heated debate within the Town of Orange. "I served 15 years in the military so that we could hang the flag wherever we wanted to, so I'm very offended," Faith Sullivan of Orange said.

 

A Facebook group called “I support Frankie Girard and the U.S. Flag” already has about 700 likes in two days.

 

The superintendent told 22News that Frankie's father is "going to extremes" and that the school has always respected the American Flag.

 

Frankie's father told 22News that he is so outraged that he placed a call to the American Civil Liberties Union.

[Phurfur 70]

I would not want that teacher teaching my kids.

[cyclone24 1,935]

Id like to hear more from the school.

 

I can see that scenario playing out both ways.....psycho teacher or the kid was drawing when he shouldnt have and told no....kid goes home and tells daddy that he couldnt hang up the flag...and now its a big thing.

[nikki2200 4]

See I read stuff like this and I don't know what to think. I mean..... it legitimately could have been that the kid was screwing off and doing stuff he wasn't supposed to and the teacher told him no. Then he came home and told his parents his teacher wouldn't let him hang a picture of the American flag and they went off the deep end.

 

Or the teacher could be a wingnut.

 

I guess that's why I don't pay attention to things like this or watch the local news, because in the bigger scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.

[nikki2200 4]

Id like to hear more from the school.

 

I can see that scenario playing out both ways.....psycho teacher or the kid was drawing when he shouldnt have and told no....kid goes home and tells daddy that he couldnt hang up the flag...and now its a big thing.

 

[cyclone24 1,935]

[parrot 789]

Id like to hear more from the school.

 

I can see that scenario playing out both ways.....psycho teacher or the kid was drawing when he shouldnt have and told no....kid goes home and tells daddy that he couldnt hang up the flag...and now its a big thing.

 

Wait a second... you want to hear both sides of the story from the parties involved before drawing a hasty conclusion and condemning people? That's just crazy talk right there.

[MDC 7,899]

See I read stuff like this and I don't know what to think. I mean..... it legitimately could have been that the kid was screwing off and doing stuff he wasn't supposed to and the teacher told him no. Then he came home and told his parents his teacher wouldn't let him hang a picture of the American flag and they went off the deep end.

 

Or the teacher could be a wingnut.

 

I guess that's why I don't pay attention to things like this or watch the local news, because in the bigger scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.

 

You mean you bother to think critically about these kinds of stories and reserve judgment until you have all of the facts instead of reacting with blind stupid outrage?

 

Are you sure this is the board for you?

[Mookz 1,375]

I tried to congradjerate you in the threada about how night posters suck, but the threada seems to have been deletorized. Everything turn out okay?

[Yer mom 2]

Fock that. What a fockin bagina. I sat in my seat as the only Buddhist kid in school while all the other motherfockers stood up and did the pledge allegiance cause I dont believe in god.

 

Poosay teacher

[cyclone24 1,935]

I tried to congradjerate you in the threada about how night posters suck, but the threada seems to have been deletorized. Everything turn out okay?

 

Oh yes...thanks for the thoughts mookz. Shes cried once in 2 days...pretty content little baby so far. Pretty amazing stuff.

[KSB2424 3,174]

Wait a second... you want to hear both sides of the story from the parties involved before drawing a hasty conclusion and condemning people? That's just crazy talk right there.

That was pretty much my stance when Tiger Woods backed into a tree. I didn't see you or anybody else running to my defense then.

[Phurfur 70]

There are a lot of you who do not believe how screwed up our country is.

[cyclone24 1,935]

There are a lot of you who do not believe how screwed up our country is.

 

 

100 billion times agree. Seems like people just dont get the little things and decisions they make erode this country as a whole.

[Recliner Pilot 61]

Massachusetts hates unions and America.

[The Next Generation 11]

Massachusetts hates unions and America.

 

Massholes!

[RLLD 4,275]

Wait a second... you want to hear both sides of the story from the parties involved before drawing a hasty conclusion and condemning people? That's just crazy talk right there.

 

Rashard Mendenhall does tell us that there are two sides to every story....

[mobb_deep 920]

I wasn't allowed to salute the flag or do the national anthem when I was a kid. My parents were JW's for about the first 10 years of my life. As you know, they don't celebrate any holidays, salute the flag or partake in any other "idol worship". All praise and worship should be to God himself, and nothing else.

 

They usually quote these two versus of the bible, as proof that they're following the word of god:

 

Exodus 20:4 - “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

 

Corinthians 10:14 - "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry."

 

Not saying it's right or wrong, but just throwing it out there...

[Phurfur 70]

I wasn't allowed to salute the flag or do the national anthem when I was a kid. My parents were JW's for about the first 10 years of my life. As you know, they don't celebrate any holidays, salute the flag or partake in any other "idol worship". All praise and worship should be to God himself, and nothing else.

 

They usually quote these two versus of the bible, as proof that they're following the word of god:

 

Exodus 20:4 - “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

 

Corinthians 10:14 - "Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry."

 

Not saying it's right or wrong, but just throwing it out there...

 

 

When I was in school we had an American flag in every class room. We were taught to be pround of our country not embarassed by it but that was decades ago. We have come a long way.

[mobb_deep 920]

When I was in school we had an American flag in every class room. We were taught to be pround of our country not embarassed by it but that was decades ago. We have come a long way.

 

Yah we had a flag in every classroom too. We did the pledge daily etc. etc. I'm almost 40 years old...

 

Like I said... I'm not saying it was right or wrong of my parents or trying to make a religious statement. I'm just saying it's a possible explanation on why it might offend that other kid (if that was indeed the case).

[Phurfur 70]

Yah we had a flag in every classroom too. I'm almost 40 years old...

 

Like I said... I'm not saying it was right or wrong of my parents or trying to make a religious statement. I'm just saying it's a possible explanation on why it might offend that other kid (if that was indeed the case).

 

 

I understand what you are saying but that was your problem not the rest of the class. Today it is everyone else's problem. This country was founded on "majority rules" today the minority rules, the smaller the better. What is wrong with people?

[titans&bucs&bearsohmy! 2,745]

When I was in 8th grade, I was sent to the office for refusing to stand during the black national anthem ("We Shall Overcome") during the black history month assembly. They called my dad, and he told them to send me back to class, and that he dared them to punish me. They didn't.

[mobb_deep 920]

I understand what you are saying but that was your problem not the rest of the class. Today it is everyone else's problem. This country was founded on "majority rules" today the minority rules, the smaller the better. What is wrong with people?

 

I completely agree. If there is an area of the classroom to hang art... a kid should be able to hang whatever he/she wants there (within reason obviously). Whether that be an American, Mexican, Iranian, etc. etc. flag. If there isn't an area of the classroom to hang art, a kid should not be able to hang any art, patriotic or otherwise.

[NewbieJr 541]

When I was in 8th grade, I was sent to the office for refusing to stand during the black national anthem ("We Shall Overcome") during the black history month assembly. They called my dad, and he told them to send me back to class, and that he dared them to punish me. They didn't.

I don't get it. Why didn't you stand? Do you hate blacks?

[Mungwater 601]

I always felt sorry for the JW kid in school, everyone came back from Xmas with new toys, they always has the same crap. When I was in fourth grade we were talking to the kid about it and he yelled "but my soul is saved..". One kid replied "I'd rather have optimus prime."

[parrot 789]

I completely agree. If there is an area of the classroom to hang art... a kid should be able to hang whatever he/she wants there (within reason obviously). Whether that be an American, Mexican, Iranian, etc. etc. flag. If there isn't an area of the classroom to hang art, a kid should not be able to hang any art, patriotic or otherwise.

 

Unless the kid was drawing the picture when he was supposed to be doing other work, as indicated by the principal. If that's the case he shouldn't be rewarded for ignoring the teacher, regardless of what he drew.

[mobb_deep 920]

I always felt sorry for the JW kid in school, everyone came back from Xmas with new toys, they always has the same crap. When I was in fourth grade we were talking to the kid about it and he yelled "but my soul is saved..". One kid replied "I'd rather have optimus prime."

 

My parents always gave me crap under the guise of something else (grades, doing my chores, etc) around the time of x-mas, or my birthday... so I didn't feel like such a total outcast around those days.

 

They actually got disfellowshipped for hanging up x-mas lights for my little sister. she wanted pretty lights on the house like all the other kids... the elder JW's didn't approve.

[Me_2006 14]

Oh yes...thanks for the thoughts mookz. Shes cried once in 2 days...pretty content little baby so far. Pretty amazing stuff.

If that little cuunt comes down the lane up 30, I'll add one to that cry total. Ba-lee dat. No easy buckets, Softspot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

also major congrats, dude.

[Thornton Melon 648]

Maybe the kid's drawing just sucked.