Oklahoma State Faculty Superintendent Ryan Walters advised the Fox Information Channel that his college district can be enacting new insurance policies to permit college students to indicate their patriotism after an Oklahoma highschool pupil was pressured to take away an American flag from his truck by college workers earlier this month.
Walters spoke on “Fox & Buddies Weekend” on Saturday to declare that below new state college pointers, no pupil might be punished for displaying the flag or displaying their patriotism. Relatively, they are going to be inspired to like their nation and higher perceive its founding.
“We’re not going to tolerate this anti-Americanism,” Walters advised “Fox & Buddies Weekend” co-host Pete Hegseth.
The general public college superintendent’s look on the channel got here a number of days after Edmond North Excessive Faculty senior Caleb Horst was reportedly instructed by college officers to take away the American flag from the pick-up truck he makes use of to drive to highschool.
As Horst advised native outlet KOCO, college workers advised him it was college protocol to maintain flags off campus. Edmond Public Faculties denied their stance on flag flying had something to do with patriotism. They advised KOCO the follow was about security and to keep away from changing into a distraction.
“It’s the follow of Edmond Public Faculties to not allow college students to fly or deliver flags of any variety on our college campuses. This follow has been in place for a number of years and is defined to our college students initially of the college yr together with varied different insurance policies and procedures.
That is designed to forestall disruptions and distractions through the college day. It is usually performed in an effort to offer a protected college atmosphere as flying flags on automobiles creates issues of safety within the parking zone in addition to may cause injury to different automobiles,” Edmond Public Faculty officers mentioned in an announcement beforehand offered to Fox Information Digital.
The assertion added, “To be clear, this isn’t in regards to the American flag or patriotism. Edmond Public Faculties proudly shows the American flag prominently and within the correct, respectful method outdoors every of our buildings and in our school rooms.
Not solely will we recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning as we begin our college day, however we additionally current the colours and play the nationwide anthem at most of our athletic occasions. All of this stuff are performed within the correct trend in response to flag etiquette.”
Horst mentioned that he had been flying the flags from his automobile for a while, and had been assured that the college wouldn’t attempt to step on his proper to free speech in displaying them.
“I’ve by no means actually had issues with it earlier than, and it’s our First Modification, so it’s sort of laborious for them to infringe upon our rights,” he mentioned.
Walters slammed the choice and signaled his division was working to alter state college guidelines to handle it.
“No college in Oklahoma ought to inform college students they’ll’t wave an American flag. We’ve had Individuals die for that flag, die for college students to have the correct to hold the flag, to wave the flag, to be pleased with that American flag,” Walters mentioned in a video posted to X.
“My division proper now’s engaged on pointers that we are going to be issuing to districts to make sure that no pupil is ever focused for having an American flag and likewise that our colleges will promote patriotism.”
Fox Information Channel’s interview with Walters led off with among the new pointers the superintendent’s division has enacted to forestall such incidents, amongst them one which obligates colleges to develop a transparent coverage that ensures flags may be flown and displayed, one other that requires college students within the state to recite the Pledge of Allegiance no less than as soon as per week, and one other making certain that colleges file a report to indicate they’re complying with these pointers.
Walters advised Hegseth that he desires his colleges to face towards the anti-Americanism pushed by the “Biden administration, by the lecturers’ unions, by the unconventional left.”
“We’re not tolerating it in our colleges. We wish patriots. We wish our college students flying the American flag,” he declared.
The superintendent added that his administration has “acted swiftly to say this may by no means occur once more. Each college within the state will shield the scholars’ proper to fly that flag. We’ll fly that flag, and we’ll promote patriotism in Oklahoma colleges.”
Walters additionally mentioned that the state’s colleges are “redeveloping our social research requirements to get extra of an understanding of the American founding.”
“We want extra patriotism. We’ve seen our colleges turn into leftist indoctrination mills pushing hatred for nation. That’s not going to occur in Oklahoma,” he declared.
The superintendent issued a memo to state colleges in June directing them to include the Bible and Ten Commandments into their curricula for grades 5-10, primarily for historic context. On the time, Walters said his directive aligns with instructional requirements permitted in Could 2019.