Teacher in NC School Stomps on Flag, Sparks Outrage in Community

A teacher from Massey Hill High School in Fayetteville, NC, has been suspended after stomping on a flag in a classroom full of students. Reportedly, history teacher Lee Francis was teaching his students about the Freedom of Speech granted by the First Amendment, but many feel that he took the lesson too far. One brave student walked to the front of the class, picked up the flag from the ground, and walked out of the classroom. In an official statement released on Tuesday following the incident, superintendent Frank Till of the Cumberland County School system stated, “Clearly, there are other ways to teach First Amendment rights without desecrating the flag.”

The proximity of the school to Fort Bragg also means that there are a high number of students with military parents, and a large number of active duty servicemembers and veterans in the community. Outraged parents and military members have been sharing the story across social media, calling for Francis’s termination. One such parent (also an active duty member of the Army) is quoted as saying, “What that teacher did was a gut punch to all the military kids at that school.”

Mr. Francis continues to stand by his actions, in spite of the amount of backlash he has received from not only parents, but across social media and news outlets throughout the nation. In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Todd Starnes, Francis said, “Do I regret what I did? Absolutely not. Would I do it again? All I can say is, I did it and I stand by it.” Francis even went so far as to accuse the student who shared the images of his flag stomping on Facebook, of breaking the law and defamation of character.

Francis will be meeting with officials from the Cumberland County school board on Thursday, September 22.

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