Peyton Robinson, a high school senior in South Carolina, was recently told by a school administrator that he couldn't fly large American and POW-MIA flags from the back of his pickup truck. However, once Robinson started posting about the incident online, it didn't take long for a social media campaign and demonstration to force a change in policy.
Robinson claimed that the problems started when a school administrator asked him to remove the flags when he got home, but he found them unbolted in the truck's bed at the end of the day. Officials there claimed that the banners represented a safety concern. "Anytime you get a flag of any kind flying, it creates a visual distraction," York Comprehensive High School Principal Christopher Black said to news station WBTV.
That argument didn't stand up to the voice of the community or students at the high school, though. A protest on May 14 brought a stream of flag-bearing vehicles to the school. Vietnam veterans also waved the Stars and Stripes at passing cars.
The public pressure forced the school to change its policy, and Robinson was allowed to fly his flags again, as long they didn't create a driving hazard. "I'm really surprised all these people showed up and I'm really appreciative of all the support from everybody, I had no idea it would get this big," he said to WBTV. You can watch the entire interview with Robinson about what happened in the video, below.
WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC
Robinson claimed that the problems started when a school administrator asked him to remove the flags when he got home, but he found them unbolted in the truck's bed at the end of the day. Officials there claimed that the banners represented a safety concern. "Anytime you get a flag of any kind flying, it creates a visual distraction," York Comprehensive High School Principal Christopher Black said to news station WBTV.
That argument didn't stand up to the voice of the community or students at the high school, though. A protest on May 14 brought a stream of flag-bearing vehicles to the school. Vietnam veterans also waved the Stars and Stripes at passing cars.
The public pressure forced the school to change its policy, and Robinson was allowed to fly his flags again, as long they didn't create a driving hazard. "I'm really surprised all these people showed up and I'm really appreciative of all the support from everybody, I had no idea it would get this big," he said to WBTV. You can watch the entire interview with Robinson about what happened in the video, below.
WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC
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