Cameron Blasek, a senior at East Central High School in Indiana, protested when told to remove his American flag from his truck. He believes the flag represents the country and those who fought for it. Despite being directed by his counselor and vice principal, Blasek refused to comply.
"I am pleased to inform you that we are allowing the display of the U.S. flag by students in the parking lot," the letter reads, per WCPO.
Blasek checked the school handbook and found no rule against displaying a flag on his vehicle. He emphasized the absence of any mention of flags in relevant sections. This defiance led to widespread support, with others displaying American flags on their vehicles.
"I think everybody gets offended over something that doesn't mean what everybody says it does. This flag represents our country and the people who died for it and fought for it and I respect that with my whole heart."
Blasek's story gained massive attention online, with over 6 million views on X. In response, Principal Tom Black informed parents that displaying the U.S. flag in the parking lot was permitted. He clarified that staff never found the flag offensive or received complaints about it.
Principal Black mentioned a longstanding rule against all vehicle flags for safety and appropriateness concerns. However, after discussions, the school decided to allow the U.S. flag while maintaining restrictions on other flags.
"The rule was never about the US Flag, and it was regarding all flags on vehicles," Black wrote. "This is due to potential safety issues with visibility and 500-600 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 stated the decision to allow the U.S. flag was made before social media backlash and was based on safety, not public pressure. He regretted any confusion and committed to clarifying the policy with the community.
"I met with most of the students Friday and informed them that they would be allowed to display the US Flag, but they should respectfully abide by the US Flag Code," Black wrote. "This was before the original social media post. The inaccurate narrative is that we changed our mind due to social media backlash. That is not true, as the timeline reveals."