Mexican AND American flags banned at CO school

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Skyline High School in Longmont, Colorado enacted a measure last week aimed at cooling off increasing tensions over immigration reform: banning both American and Mexican flags from the school.

Rocky Mountain news reported that the ban will last

"only as long as it takes for tempers to cool in the wake of Congress debating a contentious immigration bill, principal Tom Stumpf said.

"The flags no longer were being used as symbols of patriotism or of cultural heritage, but of ethnic intimidation, harassment and blatant bigotry," Stumpf said.

The American flag still flies on the flagpole in front of the school in east Longmont, and each classroom has an American flag. But tensions between Hispanics and non-Hispanics were building, Stumpf said, and the flags were being used as the wrong kinds of symbols.

The ban includes T-shirts and other clothing that have replicas of the flags. At least for now, it also includes Mexican or American flags flown from the antennas of cars parked on school property.

"My obligation is to secure the safety of students," Stumpf said. "The flags were being flagrantly misused to incite violence.'"

Maybe we're out in left field here, but banning an American flag at an American government (public) school? Really?