According to Tuttle Twins author Connor Boyack, 12-year-old Jaiden was kicked out of class in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for having a Gadsden flag patch on his bookbag.
12-Year-Old Allegedly Removed From Class For Gadsden Flag Patch
“The school’s director said via email that the patch was ‘disruptive to the classroom environment,'” Boyack said.
The school claimed the Gadsden patch has “origins with slavery.”
Jaiden’s mother recorded an interaction with school officials which has gone viral on X (formerly Twitter).
A 12yo boy named Jaiden was kicked out of class in the @HarrisonSD2 school district for having a Gadsden Flag patch on his backpack.
The school says it “originated with slavery and the slave trade” which is not even remotely close to being true. pic.twitter.com/QfI5cdzFVJ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) August 29, 2023
WLTReport explained how the school's claims of the Gadsden Flag's ties to slavery and the slave trade are ridiculous.
For a quick history lesson, the Gadsden Flag originated from the Revolutionary War.
Christopher Gadsden was a delegate to the Continental Congress from South Carolina.
During the Revolutionary war, he created the flag to fly while he was a brigadier general.
The rattlesnake had been used by American colonists dating back to the 1750s.
This includes Benjamin Franklin’s famous political cartoon.
The disjoint sections of the snake represent the colonies who needed to join together for their freedom.
Basically, the teachers don’t even know American history.
Jaiden pointed out the hypocrisy of the staff with a picture of a faculty member's car.
This is Jaiden, the 12 y/o Patriot who refused to remove the Gadsden flag from his backpack
School officials said it was “distracting” and “offensive” to other students
After being asked to leave school for refusing to comply, he took this picture near the car of a school… pic.twitter.com/0VXHGhsbgr
— DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) August 29, 2023
Jaiden refused to back down and returned to school with his patch.
He prepared to conduct a sit-in and protest if needed.
"Two law firms have stepped forward to assist as necessary to fight the viewpoint discrimination," Boyack said.
For those asking for an update:
- Jaiden decided to go back to school today. 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… pic.twitter.com/lEVH6XiLDm
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 29, 2023
"Jaiden attended school today. Nobody said anything about his patch. Nice to know that millions of Americans are on his side and bringing the heat to this absurd school administration and their stupid policy. He's a happy kid and I'm proud that he stood up for himself. Thanks to all of you for standing up with him," Boyack commented.
UPDATE: Jaiden attended school today. Nobody said anything about his patch.
Nice to know that millions of Americans are on his side and bringing the heat to this absurd school administration and their stupid policy.
He's a happy kid and I'm proud that he stood up for… pic.twitter.com/eT4ssTKc4H
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 29, 2023
In a late-night update, Boyack said the school folded under the national pressure to allow Jaiden to wear his Gadsden patch.
"At this time, the Vanguard School Board and the District have informed the student's family that he may attend school with the Gadsden flag patch visible on his backpack," an email from The Vanguard School Board of Directors read.
We won! #JusticeForJaiden pic.twitter.com/Y8dX43e9Sp
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
"Let this be a lesson — document your encounters w/ government employees. Had Jaiden's mom not recorded the video, this wouldn't have got nearly the attention that it did. Important: not all states let you record secretly like this, but most do," Boyack said.
Let this be a lesson — document your encounters w/ government employees. Had Jaiden's mom not recorded the video, this wouldn't have got nearly the attention that it did.
Important: not all states let you record secretly like this, but most do. Details: https://t.co/3efUF9P6xC
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
"One-party consent means that an individual can record conversations they are a part of without the other person’s consent. Of course, you should still make sure to look at the individual laws for each state as there are a few slight differences between them. However, a general rule for one-party consent states is that if you are part of the conversation, you can record it," Recording Law writes.
Per Recording Law:
There are 37 states (+DC) that are considered one-party consent states. In addition, Connecticut can also, at times, be regarded as a one-party consent state.
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri*, Nebraska, Nevada*, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont**, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
*RecordingLaw.com prefers to err on the side of caution with these states as they have special provisions. Make sure to read the state rules for your specific state.
**Vermont does not have an official law related to call recording, so Federal Law applies. This makes Vermont a one-party consent state.Note- If someone is on your property recording without your permission it is usually most efficient to charge them with trespassing instead of debating the validity of recording.
A few memes inspired by Jaiden:
— The Right To Bear Memes (@grandoldmemes) August 29, 2023
— Connor Boyack 📚 (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
— The Right To Bear Memes (@grandoldmemes) August 29, 2023
When you wear a Gadsden flag patch in a lib school district pic.twitter.com/czwnugqVfl
— The Right To Bear Memes (@grandoldmemes) August 29, 2023
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