A student has sued his school after receiving a seven-day suspension. He believes he was suspended purely for inquiring about the lack of American flags in the school's classrooms.
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When speaking to WBFF FOX45 Baltimore, Parker Jensen told the story of when he attempted to lawfully draw attention to the lack of American flags in Towson High School in Baltimore.
"I'm only in two classes, but both my classes do not have American flags," the marine hopeful told the outlet.
Despite his calm and legal efforts, the situation escalated, and he was disciplined pretty damn hard by the school's board.
Whether you agree with American flags being plastered all over the place, not only did Jensen approach the issue respectfully, but the presence of flags is both a Maryland law and a Baltimore County School Board policy.
he originally took the issue up with the vice president of the school. Although he was told the school would look into it, a month passed with no change. That's when he took the issue up with the school board's office after school.
That's when things got heated.
School Calls Police On Student For... Trespassing?
When visiting the board's office, Parker Jensen thankfully recorded his visit. The video was shared with the outlet.
Jensen was waiting outside for an hour after calling at the office. It's clear they intended to wait him out, but got impatient before he did. Instead of simply talking with him (he was only expecting a 5 minute talk on the issue), they called the cops and told them he was trespassing.
His visit was perfectly legal. There was a "welcome visitors" sign on the door and he visited during open hours. Additionally, he was wearing school uniform and was ready with his Student ID. How is this trespassing again?
When the cops arrived, Richard Muth, from the Baltimore Public Schools Department of School Safety, informed the police and Jensen that he was suspended for a week.
Apparently, Jensen deserved the suspension due to "disruptive behavior" and "refusing to cooperate with school rules." I reckon the school wouldn't be able to justify either of those claims.
Despite all the trouble he's been embroiled in, American flags have been installed in the classrooms that were devoid of them. He is suing the school due for their actions against him; he believes their response is unjustified and unconstitutional.
Thankfully, he doesn't think this mishap will affect his chances of enrolling in the Marines Corp. Considering this story, however, I think they'll welcome him in with open arms.
