In a turn of events that has captured the nation’s attention, a 12-year-old student named Jaiden has successfully challenged his Colorado Springs school’s decision to remove him from class for sporting a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack. The incident gained widespread visibility after a video documenting the event went viral, amassing over 8.9 million views on social media platform X.
Connor Boyack, a leading voice in education and the head of Utah’s Libertas Institute, celebrated the decision by the Vanguard School Board of Directors to permit Jaiden to display the Gadsden flag patch. Boyack took to X to proclaim, “We won! Let this be a lesson — document your encounters w/ government employees. Had Jaiden’s mom not recorded the video, this wouldn’t have got nearly the attention that it did.”
We won! #JusticeForJaiden pic.twitter.com/Y8dX43e9Sp
— Connor Boyack ? (@cboyack) August 30, 2023
Meet 12yo Jaiden who was kicked out of class yesterday in Colorado Springs for having a Gadsden flag patch, which the school claims has "origins with slavery."
The school's director said via email that the patch was "disruptive to the classroom environment."
Receipts in the ? pic.twitter.com/qQ8jK1zSpR
— Connor Boyack ? (@cboyack) August 29, 2023
The school had initially justified the removal by stating in an email that the Gadsden flag was “disruptive to the classroom environment” and linked it to “origins with slavery.” However, the flag is actually a historical symbol from the American Revolution, representing the 13 colonies’ resistance against British oppression.
The viral video shows a meeting between Jaiden, his mother, and an unidentified school official. During the discussion, the official claimed that the flag was not allowed due to its supposed ties to slavery. Jaiden’s mother countered this, pointing out that the flag was actually a Revolutionary War symbol and questioned if it was being confused with the Confederate flag.
In a statement, the school emphasized its commitment to American principles, stating, “From Vanguard’s founding we have proudly supported our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the ordered liberty that all Americans have enjoyed for almost 250 years.” The school acknowledged the Gadsden flag’s historical importance but did not offer any further comments when approached by Fox News Digital.
Even Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis entered the fray, defending the Gadsden flag on social media as “a proud symbol of the American revolution and a iconic warning to Britain or any government not to violate the liberties of Americans.”
