Calif: Catholic School Forbids 13-Year-Old Student From Delivering ‘Patriotic’ Speech

May 23, 2024

A 13-year-old student at a Catholic middle school in California has been prevented from giving a speech on patriotism while running for the student government position of “Commissioner of School Spirit and Patriotism.”

According to OANN, Jimmy Heyward is a student at Saint Bonaventure Catholic School in Huntington Beach, California. Heyward was informed by his principal Mary Flock that he must remove “everything about patriotism” from his speech.

A petition circulated by Heyward’s mother Hattie Ruggles states: “Jimmy stood up to her and said he wasn’t going to take the parts about patriotism out of his speech. She then told him he would not be speaking. Jimmy sat on stage with all the other candidates while they said their speeches.”

Ruggles added, “Mary Flock directed the kids hosting the rally to skip Jimmy entirely. He was on the stage for an hour in front of his peers/teachers/parents being completely humiliated by Mary Flock.”

Flock called police after the boy’s father Ed Heyward addressed both Principal Flock and Vice Principal Caleb McFerrin regarding the boy’s exclusion. Those officers declined to remove Ed Heyward and told him he was free to stay and watch with the other families in attendance.

In a statement to Fox News, school administrators defended their actions saying, “In this recent case, school administrators felt encouraged by the words of patriotism but were discouraged by what is perceived as some negative comments and sought adjustments to make it more positive.”

Flock later sent an email to parents of students defending the school’s decision to exclude Heyward’s speech and stating, “This incident reminds us of the importance of maintaining a respectful and inclusive environment within our school community.”

Photo: top, Credit-Yann Coatsaliou-AFP-Getty Images