Middle School Principal Censors Student Patriotic Speech

It’s scary to think that some people in charge of running a school believe they are above the constitution.

Unfortunately for Saint Bonaventure Catholic School student Jimmy Hayward, Principal Mary Flock felt the need to censor a speech at a school election rally.

Hayward was running for Commissioner of School Spirit & Patriotism and was unable to give his speech for standing firm on his beliefs.

Instead of speaking to his fellow classmates about the importance of showing respect to veterans during the National Anthem, he was forced to sit and listen on stage to the other candidates speeches.

Fox News adds comments from Hattie Ruggles, the mother of Jimmy Hayward:

Heyward’s mother, Hattie Ruggles, claims her son was told to remove “all parts about patriotism” from his campaign speech or he would not be allowed to deliver it before the school assembly. In the speech, the student talks about the importance of showing respect to veterans during the National Anthem or when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

“Jimmy stood up to her and said he wasn’t going to take the parts about patriotism out of his speech,” Ruggles wrote in a Change.org petition calling on Flock to be fired. “She then told him he would not be speaking. Jimmy sat on stage with all the other candidates while they said their speeches. Mary Flock directed the kids hosting the rally to skip Jimmy entirely. He was on the stage for an hour in front of his peers/teachers/parents being completely humiliated by Mary Flock.”

Jimmy’s father would confront the Flock and the vice principal at the assembly, accusing them of not allowing Jimmy to speak due to differing beliefs.

Ruggles even adds the emails sent home from Flock explaining why Jimmy was unable to present his speech were a lie:

🚨To make things worse Principal Mary flock sent this lie of an email to parents after she called the cops on parents because they got a little upset and when the HB community decided to show support with a PEP rally for jimmy to welcome jimmy to school she called the cops again pic.twitter.com/KSC6HBZK5d

— Luke “Skywalker” Dennis (@SkywalkerHB1776) May 21, 2024

Fox News adds the statement from St. Bonaventure Catholic School about the incident:

“St. Bonaventure Catholic School is dedicated to fostering a Catholic, Christ-centered learning environment that builds a community valuing respect and integrity. We encourage freedom of speech, recognizing that allowing students to express their thoughts and ideas is crucial for their growth and development. In line with this, our longstanding policy requires all student speeches delivered on campus to undergo an administrative approval process. This practice ensures that the content is appropriate, aligns with school values and our Christian Code of Conduct, and maintains a respectful tone. The process is applied uniformly to all students without exception,” the school said.

“If a speech does not receive final approval, we adhere to our established guidelines, which means the student will not be permitted to deliver the speech. In this recent case, school administrators felt encouraged by the words of patriotism but were discouraged by what is perceived as some negative comments and sought adjustments to make it more positive.”

“We understand the disappointment the recent situation may have caused. However, to preserve the integrity of St. Bonaventure School’s practices and its Christ-centered learning environment, we stand by our decision and our policies. We remain committed to maintaining a consistent and fair approach for all students.”

While the school may be supporting Flock and her decision, many people are flocking to X to not only provide support for Jimmy, but call for her to be fired:

How DARE school principal #MaryFlock deny a child who is a candidate for a sanctioned school position from speaking simply because he refuses to denounce his PATRIOTISM towards the USA?! Abhorrent! 😡 #MakeHerFamoushttps://t.co/ASwhase9Pl

— Dakota Sioux (@QueenBinSD) May 21, 2024

Remove Contrary Mary Flock as Principal of Saint Bonaventure Catholic School – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/4o9MEBgG4Q via @Change

— Normchop (@normchop1962) May 22, 2024

Assuming the story to be true, and in California, nothing shocks me anymore…

Well done Jimmy!!

Principal Mary Flock should be removed from her position WITHOUT PAY – and should the school board & administration NOT take action against Ms. Flock, they should be voted out and… https://t.co/LAmSGZ6lyw

— Other Side Asset Management (@OtherSide_AM) May 22, 2024

Support for Jimmy:

This is Jimmy. A middle schooler in California. He ran for “Commissioner of School Spirit & Patriotism” at school.

His principal allegedly made him change his speech and remove all mention of patriotism. When he refused, she reportedly didn’t allow him to give the speech and he… pic.twitter.com/25IaDjP5Zw

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 21, 2024

The principal didn’t want this speech to be seen because it’s too patriotic.

It now has 2M views and counting! Jimmy’s mom is very grateful! 🙏🏻👏 https://t.co/MVKmbnXyc6

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 21, 2024

In 2024, the freedom of speech should not be questioned at this point, particularly when the speech is promoting patriotism and respect for veterans.