Student punished for American flag shirt

A North Texas student was punished recently for wearing an American flag T-shirt to school.           

An administrator at Seagoville High School determined that the shirt violated the dress code.

The boy wearing the shirt, named Jaegur, was facing in-school-suspension on his record, but his mom apparently knew more about the dress code than that educator.

Jaegur’s mom, Shelly Goode, says her son Jaegur does his best to follow the rules.

Jaegur is a junior at Seagoville High School. He’s passionate about ROTC and hopes to earn a scholarship through the program.

“He wants to go into the military,” said Shelly. “He wants to help people, and any bad marks doesn't look good.”

But Monday, Shelly says an administrator asked Jaegur to lift his hoodie.

“Underneath that shirt, he was wearing [the American flag] shirt,” said Shelly.

When Jaegur lifted his hoodie, he was sent to in-school suspension.

Seagoville High doesn’t require uniforms; just that students wear solid color shirts. The only exceptions are made for school and college logos or shirts supporting the military.

“Why doesn't [the shirt Jaegur wore] count?” FOX 4’s Diana Zoga said.

“I have no idea,” said Shelly. “I would like that answer.”

Shelly, who works the nightshift at a hospital, lost sleep driving to Jaegur’s school, only to have the assistant principal stand by the punishment. 

“If he was breaking the rules, he would be punished and he would have to honor whatever they give him, but he wasn't, and I have to stand by him for that,” said Shelly.

So, Shelly requested an explanation in writing, and FOX 4 started asking the district questions.

While FOX 4 was with Shelly on Tuesday, she received a call from the principal, who apologized for all the trouble and confirmed that yes, the American flag can be worn in school. 

“The fact that acknowledging it is huge, and the fact that they're willing to stand by and see mistakes and grow from them, that means a lot,” said Shelly.

Seagoville High is in the Dallas Independent School District. It confirms that flags can be displayed on clothing.

The school’s principal said he was off campus on Monday when the incident happened.

He also explained to Shelly that the in-school suspension time doesn’t go onto a student’s disciplinary record. 

FOX 4 is on YouTube -- http://bit.ly/fox4subscribe