12 Year Old Boy Is Booted From School For Having A Don't Tread On Me Patch On His Backpack, School Calls It Racist

A video circulating on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, this week depicted a young elementary school student in Colorado Springs, Colorado being removed from class over having a Gadsden Flag patch on his backpack.

The clip appeared to be recorded by 12-year-old Jaiden’s mother as she, her son, and a school administrator discussed the boy being pulled from class at The Vanguard School that day because of the patch.

According to the staffer at the Colorado charter school, the patch was "disruptive to the classroom environment," as she claimed it has "origins with slavery."

Jaiden’s mother disputed the school staff member throughout the meeting, arguing that the flag originated during the American Revolution as a symbol of the 13 colonies’ fight against the British Crown and did not promote slavery.

The video opened with Jaiden, his mother and the unnamed school administrator sitting down for a meeting in her office to discuss the child’s dismissal from class. The staff member stated, "So the reason that they do not want the flag – the reason we do not want the flag displayed – is due to its origins with slavery, and slave trade."

"The Gadsden Flag?" the mother asked, to which the staff member replied, "The ‘Don’t Tread on Me.’"

After the mother asked what would happen if Jaiden didn’t remove the patch, the staffer declared, "The bag can’t go back if it’s got the patch on it, cause we can’t have that in and around other kids."

Jaiden’s mother pushed back on the decision, saying, "Yeah it has nothing to do with slavery, that’s like the revolutionary war patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British." She asked if maybe the woman was mistaking it for the Confederate Flag.

The administrator responded, "I am here to enforce the policy that was provided by the district and definitely, you have every right not to agree with it."

The mother and Jaiden confronted the educator over the fact that other kids have patches on their backpacks. The mother added that she did not understand the policy that was being enforced.

The staff member then claimed she would put Jaiden’s mother in touch with Jeff Yocum, The Vanguard School’s Director of Operations.