Indiana school is slammed for telling senior to remove American flag from his pick-up truck because it could be 'offensive to others'

Friends of a patriotic senior rallied to his side after he was ordered to remove the American flag from his pick-up in case it led to others at school being 'offended'.

Cameron Blasek, 17, was hauled up by staff at East Central High School in Indiana after one spotted the flag flying proudly from the back of his blue Dodge 4x4.

The teen refused the demand and was facing a write-up for insubordination after quoting Indiana state law and the school's own handbook to support his right.

But the school dramatically backed down after the school parking lot was filled by dozens of flags flying from students' cars the following day.

'This flag represents our country and the people who died for it and fought for it,' Blasek said, 'And I respect that with my whole heart.'

Cameron said he had flown the flag without incident since the start of the school year and was astonished to be pulled aside by his counsellor and assistant principal on Thursday.

'The school came to me and said "Hey you got to remove this flag otherwise you're getting written up for insubordination," and I just told them straight up from the get-go that it's not going to happen.

'I read them their own handbook and their guidelines and I read them Indiana state law and everything that shows them I'm perfectly legal and fine to fly that flag.

'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.'

But he said they told him it could lead to other students flying flags 'that are seen as offensive'.

'I think everybody gets offended over something,' he said.

'The flag itself represents this country, this beautiful country that we live in.'

As the stand-off escalated, word spread among the other students at the school in St Leon sparking a defiant show of strength in the school lot the following morning.

'People were sending me messages throughout the night and everything of everybody going out and buying flags left and right,' he said.

'I was getting messages. My phone was blowing up.'

'Today nearly two dozen high schoolers showed up to school with the American flag on their vehicles,' his mother Heidi Jo Jackson-Blasek wrote on Facebook.

'Not just to support my son and their friend but to stand for what they believe in and what is right.

'My son asked why he had to remove the flag and was told it could be offensive to others, or it could be controversial.

'He was also told it will be in the student handbook next year that students cannot fly the American flag.

'Well, in my opinion, if you are offended by the American flag, then leave the United States of America!'

With a student mutiny on his doorstep, school principal Tom Black dispatched a hasty letter to parents to address 'misunderstandings', and reassuring them that American flags would now be allowed on cars in the lot.

'After careful consideration and in recognition of the importance of the US flag as a symbol of unity and national identity, I am pleased to inform you that we are allowing the display of the US flag by students in East Central High School parking lot.'

And he insisted that no member of staff ever 'stated or insinuated that the US Flag was offensive'.

'The US Flag is displayed in the front of our school and in every classroom,' he told WCPO 9 .

'We begin each day with the Pledge of Allegiance. Clearly, we do not consider the U.S. Flag offensive.

'Friday morning, after consulting with other administrators, we determined that we would allow the U.S. Flag to be displayed, and would prohibit other flags if they were determined to be offensive.'

'The rule was never about the US Flag, and it was regarding all flags on vehicles,' he added.

'This is due to potential safety issues with visibility and 500 to 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 denied that student pressure forced him to back down and there was a sting in the tail of his letter to parents insisting that 'students will be expected to display the US Flag properly and in accordance for the US Flag Code'.

The code's guidance for flying the flag from a car advises that it 'should not be draped over the hood, top, sides, or back of a vehicle or of a railroad train or a boat'.

'When the flag is displayed on a motorcar, the staff shall be fixed firmly to the chassis or clamped to the right fender,' it adds.

Cameron, who hopes to join the military after school, said he was grateful for the support from his friends and his family.

'I was always taught to never back down on a situation that you believe in, that was just the way I was raised and I'm very grateful for it,' he added.