Buzz Paths

In the latest case of political correctness run amok, America has once again been bitch slapped, this time by Nick Boden the principal of Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California who suspended several students – Why? For wearing American Flag t-shirts to school on Cinco De Mayo, an act he believed offended the students of Mexican heritage. Oy vey! It is time to take School Prinicipal Boden to school.

Mr. Boden,

Outrage aside: Employing simple logic, does this mean that your administration would also prohibit the students of Mexican decent from wearing any clothing bearing the colors of Mexico on any traditionally American holidays, or any other day for that matter, for fear of offending students whose heritage and ancestry is American?

Patriotism via the wearing of shirts bearing the colors of our flag aside: Are you aware that there is a right to freedom of speech in the United States? You should understand that although it may seem counter intuitive, there is nothing in our Constitution that protects one from being “offended” and by its design actually protects the right to “offend,” and therefore the bottom line ironically enough, is that it is this right to free speech that protects the rights of Mexican students, American students or students of any heritage to wear the colors of their nations flags with out hindrance because of the possibility that someone might be offended.

All of this aside: The question really becomes one of simple policy. Policy makes your jobs as a school administrator and my job as a police administrator easy. It keeps us in line, it protects us from liability, and keeps our organizations from looking incompetent and foolish. Hard as it may be to believe, even a horribly written policy that authorizes you to do whatever you want to whomever you want whenever you want would protect you as long as you had that policy. I don’t think you do.

Therefore, all the emotions about patriotic clothing offending one group or another, had no bearing in this episode which boils down to this simple question of policy: Does your school have a policy that dictates when students may or may not wear patriotic clothing bearing the colors of the nation of their heritage? If there is no such policy in your school, and I would bet a year’s salary there is not, then you Nick, arbitrarily created your own personal policy on the spur of the moment, a policy which like a magician who pulls a rabbit out of his hat, you essentially pulled out of your ass, and visited it upon a singled out group of your own choosing at a time of your own choosing.

Humor and national heritage aside: What the hell were you thinking Nick?

Ted Silberstein

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Students-Wearing-American-Flag-Shirts-Sent-Home-92945969.html

Contact the school:

Switchboard (408) 201-6100
Fax (408) 776-9097

Nick Boden – Principal
Nick.Boden@mhu.k12.ca.us

Here’s the link to the school directory:
http://liveoakhs.ca.campusgrid.net/home/Directory

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