KRQE 13 News – by Lysee MitriESPANOLA, N.M. (KRQE) – A middle school principal said a student was misbehaving with his friends and took things too far. The student threw an American flag out a second-story classroom window. Now the principal says the 14-year-old needs to be held accountable, but some parents say the punishment is too harsh.
“I guess I can’t believe they’re going to take such extreme measures,” said Curtis Schattschneider.
Parents and community members in Española are surprised both at what a Carlos F. Vigil Middle School student did and the punishment he’s getting.
“I am trying to hold him accountable,” said Principal Robert Archuleta.
Archuleta said four students started throwing grammar workbooks and erasers out a classroom window last month. One of the eighth grader students took it a step farther by tossing an American flag out into the snow.
“He says, ‘Because I was just messing around,’ and he started to laugh,” Archuleta said. “Then the other kids were laughing, the kids that were with him. ‘There goes the flag.’ That was his last statement.”
The principal is a veteran. His father is also a veteran who fought in World War II.
“A lot of men have died over [the flag], men and women,” Archuleta said. “We fought to keep our country safe and to keep it free.”
While the United States Supreme Court has ruled that the desecration of the flag is protected free speech, the principal cites federal law that prevents disgracing the Stars and Stripes.
The principal called the school resource officer with Rio Arriba County, but because it is a federal offense they referred him to the FBI.
“I want to report it to them because it is a federal law, so it’s in their hands,” Archuleta said.
Last week, he suspended the 14-year-old last week for 10 days, but he is recommending long-term suspension or expulsion.
“I am a firm believer in citizenship and U.S. history and our history, and these are going to be our future leaders,” Archuleta said of his students. “I want them to understand they have to take responsibility.”
Still, parents are skeptical.
“I can understand where he’s coming from because we do need to respect our American flag, but to go that far in trying to teach him a lesson, I think might even hurt him down the road,” Schattschneider said.
The eighth grader has a hearing Thursday where the principal says he will recommend more than a 10-day suspension.
Ultimately, that will be up to the district to decide.
The FBI told KRQE News 13 they haven’t yet received the complaint yet, but if a federal crime was committed they will investigate and turn the results over to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
http://krqe.com/2015/02/09/principal-to-contact-fbi-after-student-throws-us-flag/
“The principal is a veteran. His father is also a veteran who fought in World War II.”
And they both fought for the commies, not US.
This douche-nozzle principal is upset about mistreatment of our flag that the commie joos use to mislead our people into war but not upset at all that our Constitution and Bill of Rights went out the window a long time ago.
The middle school up the street must have been celebrating something “patriotic” one day and had given out flags to the students. As one little parasitic invader carried one, he decided the stick was more interesting and tore the flag away and stuffed it between fence posts and strolled along with the part that interested him more. He was about 12 years old and definitely old enough to know better. And as Henry mentioned yesterday about “11 million” illegals, I agree there is at least 3x that number here.
“And as Henry mentioned yesterday about “11 million” illegals, I agree there is at least 3x that number here.”
Didn’t Obama order 37 million work visas for them? I’d put the number closer to 50 million.
50 million is a lot of bullets…. I say we turn them into slaves and have ’em all rebuilding the infrastructure.
“A lot of men have died over [the flag], men and women,” Archuleta said. “We fought to keep our country safe and to keep it free.”
What a moron. Not only for calling the FBI on a rowdy 14 year-old, but for being dumb enough to keep clinging to his false notions of why we wage war.
Maybe the teachers have to be as dumb as cops to get hired.
Brainwashing is very effective why dontcha know we are over there so they wont come over here and protecting your freedoms. What’s to complain about eh?
They should have tossed the principle out the window he sounds like a fag. An uneducated fag.
“I want to report it to them because it is a federal law, so it’s in their hands,” Archuleta said.”
Your “see something, say something” tax dollars at work.
Still haven’t figured out how to fix stupid yet.