Colorado school forced to let student keep Gadsden patch on his bag

A Colorado school has been forced to let a student keep a Gadsden flag patch on his bag, after a teacher ordered him to remove it. The 12-year-old boy, named Jaiden, and his mom refused to apologize after he wore the historic Gadsden flag patch to The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which one staffer claimed was 'disruptive to the classroom environment'. Now, the school has decided to U-turn on the decision to stop Jaiden from wearing the patch, with his defiance now making him popular amongst his peers.

In a video shared on Twitter , Jaiden said: 'Today was a good day. The kids were really hyped up. They are putting 'don't tread on me' on their locker. Now they like me all of sudden. But the teachers on the other hand, I got some dirty looks that's for sure. They are definitely not happy with me.' The Gadsden flag was designed by South Carolina soldier Christopher Gadsden in the mid-1770s during the American Revolution. Colonel Gadsden had seen a yellow banner with a hissing, coiled rattlesnake rising up in the center, and beneath the serpent the words: 'Don't Tread On Me'.

He made a copy and submitted the design to the Provincial Congress in South Carolina. Commodore Esek Hopkins, commander of the new Continental fleet, carried a similar flag in early 1776 when his ships went to sea for the first time. In a notice shared by Libertas President Connor Boyack, the School Board of Directors said: 'The Vanguard School Board of Directors called an emergency meeting. 'The Vanguard School recognizes the historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history. 'This incident is an occasion for us to reaffirm our deep commitment to a classical education in support of these American principles. The District have informed the student's family that he may attend school with the Gadsden flag patch visible on his backpack.'

Jaiden and his mom had been told that the patch, which has 'Don't Tread on Me' emblazoned on it along with a rattlesnake, was against the district's policy and he was not allowed to go back to class without removing it. The pupil was told by the administrator: 'So the reason that they do not want the flag – the reason we do not want the flag displayed – is due to its origins with slavery, and the slave trade. 'The bag can't go back if it's got the patch on it, cause we can't have that in and around other kids.' But his mother was quick to defend her son, claiming that the flag originally comes from the American Revolution as a symbol of the 13 colonies' fight against the British Crown and did not promote slavery.

The pupil was told by the administrator: 'So the reason that they do not want the flag – the reason we do not want the flag displayed – is due to its origins with slavery, and the slave trade. 'The bag can't go back if it's got the patch on it, cause we can't have that in and around other kids.' But his mother was quick to defend her son, claiming that the flag originally comes from the American Revolution as a symbol of the 13 colonies' fight against the British Crown and did not promote slavery. She can be heard in the video saying: 'It has nothing to do with slavery, that's like the revolutionary war patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British.' As part of the back and forth, she questioned if the school employee was mistaking it for the Confederate Flag. The administrator responded, 'I am here to enforce the policy that was provided by the district and definitely, you have every right not to agree with it.'

But his mother was backed up by Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who weighed in on the issue, denying that the flag was racist, instead claiming it was a 'great teaching moment'. He said: 'The Gadsden flag is a proud symbol of the American Revolution and a iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans. 'It appears on popular American medallions and challenge coins through today and Ben Franklin also adopted it to symbolize the union of the 13 colonies. It's a great teaching moment for a history lesson!' DailyMail.com has approached the Vanguard School for further comment. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12463421/Colorado-school-forced-let-student-Gadsden-flag-patch-bag-teacher-ordered-remove-said-origins-slavery.html?ito=msngallery

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