Colorado School's Gadsden Flag Ban Overturned After Student Goes Viral

The Colorado Springs school that sparked conservative outrage after telling a 12-year-old boy he had to remove a patch displaying the Gadsden flag from his backpack due to "its origins with slavery" has reversed course, saying he can continue bringing it to lessons.

According to The Denver Gazette, the boy's family was notified of the decision by The Vanguard School on Tuesday following an emergency meeting by its board of directors.

In an email sent to the families of students at the school, the board said: "From Vanguard's founding we have proudly supported our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the ordered liberty that all Americans have enjoyed for almost 250 years.

"The Vanguard School recognizes the historical significance of the Gadsden flag and its place in history. This incident is an occasion for us to reaffirm our deep commitment to a classical education in support of these American principles."

Newsweek has reached out to The Vanguard School for comment by email.

The Gadsden flag features a coiled rattlesnake on a yellow background along with the slogan "Don't Tread on Me" and was a symbol of defiance to British imperial control.

Speaking to Newsweek, Professor Eliga Gould, who teaches history at the University of New Hampshire, commented: "The Gadsden flag takes its name from Christopher Gadsden, delegate to the Continental Congress from South Carolina, who designed the flag in 1775.

"Although Gadsden was an enslaver, the rattlesnake on the flag refers to Benjamin Franklin's famous 1754 print, 'Join or Die,' promoting colonial unity during the French and Indian War. Ironically, in view of the flag's modern history, the service that used the flag during the Revolutionary War was the Continental Navy, perhaps 10 percent of whose sailors were African American."

On Tuesday, Connor Boyack, the founder of the Libertas Institute, a think tank that works to "shrink the size and scope of the government," shared footage from a meeting between a member of staff at The Vanguard School and the student, identified as Jaiden, along with his family. There is no indication the member of staff realized the discussion was being recorded or that it would later be posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

During the meeting, the staff member said: "The reason we do not want the flag displayed is due to its origins with slavery and the slave trade."

A family member of the student is heard saying: "It has nothing to do with slavery, that's like the Revolutionary War patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British."

In response, the school employee said, "I'm here to enforce the policy that was provided by the district, and definitely you have every right to not agree with it."

The video went viral on X, receiving more than 5,900 reposts and 9.1 million views.

Boyack shared an email sent by the school to the boy's family claiming the Gadsden flag is "tied to the Confederate flag and other white-supremacy groups" and "tied to hate groups."

Colorado's Democratic Governor Jared Polis retweeted a post from House Democrat Ted Lieu condemning the school's initial decision.

Posting on X, Lieu said: "I oppose banning the Gadsden flag in schools for the same reason I oppose conservative schools districts that ban LGBTQ flags in schools. Let kids be their authentic selves and give them a world of information—students can figure out what's important to them."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his state would sell 'Don't Tread on Me' themed license plates, complete with the Gadsden flag, in March 2022 to raise money for the Florida Veterans Foundation.

In 2019, Hollywood star Chris Pratt sparked a social media controversy after he was photographed wearing a shirt depicting a coiled rattlesnake in front of the American flag, with the "Don't Tread on Me" slogan written below.

The Gadsden flag saw a resurgence in popularity during the early 2010s when it was widely used by the conservative Tea Party movement.

Update 8/31/23 4:55 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with comment from Gould.