It is the day of Cinco de Mayo, when three Students walk into their Northern California High school wearing t-shirts that display the American flag. On any other day administrators might have looked past this, but since it was Cinco de Mayo, they felt as though these students might be a threat against other students and havoc could break out if the situation was not addressed. So, they gave the students an ultimatum, either they turn the shirts inside out or they leave school for the day. While none of these three students received any kind of threat nor threatened any other student on campus, administrators still felt the need to take it into their hands and prevent an imaginary situation.

So the question here is, did these students have their rights, as American citizens, taken from them? America is a country that thrives on the idea that its people are free to express themselves as they want as long as it is not physically harming another person. So why were these students asked to take off shirts that represented their country? They wanted answers and justice, but when they took it to the courts the case was brushed off and everyone who reviewed it seemed to favor the administrator’s decision as they believed they were preventing violence from potentially breaking out on the school campus.

When taken to the experts on freedom of speech, they agreed with the students that they were undermined and felt as though they deserved to have what they believed, be heard. While this isn’t solely about an American flag and freedom of speech, it is about whether or not administrators should have the right to make decisions like these and take actions like they did , against their students. In an appeals court in San Francisco, these three students will finally have a chance to settle whether this was right or wrong and if the actions that took place were reasonable and in that case, even allowed.