After video went viral Tuesday showing a Colorado student getting admonished by a school administrator for displaying a Gadsden flag patch on his backpack, the school’s board of directors called an emergency meeting to walk back that decision.

Following intense online backlash, the Vanguard School board in Colorado Springs called an emergency meeting and concluded 12-year-old Jaiden Rodriguez would be allowed to continue wearing the “Don’t Tread on Me” patch on his backpack.

“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,” the board wrote in an email to Vanguard families, according to The Gazette.

In the viral video, Rodriguez was initially told that he wouldn’t be able to return to class unless he removed the Gadsden flag patch because it had “origins with slavery.”

Meet 12yo Jaiden who was kicked out of class yesterday in Colorado Springs for having a Gadsden flag patch, which the school claims has “origins with slavery.”

The school’s director said via email that the patch was “disruptive to the classroom environment.”

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“The reason we do not want the flag displayed is due to its origins with slavery and the slave trade,” Beth Danjuma, assistant principal of the junior high building at The Vanguard School, said in the video.

But Harrison School District 2, home of Vanguard, then moved the goalposts on the entire issue, claiming that the Gadsden incident “wasn’t the whole story.”

The real problem, District 2 claimed, was that Rodriguez was also displaying patches of “semi-automatic weapons” on his backpack.

“There has been National media attention on our charter school, The Vanguard School, related to a student having the Gadsden flag on his backpack. Unfortunately, this story is incomplete. The patch in question was part of half a dozen other patches of semi-automatic weapons. The student has removed the semi-automatic patches. As a school district, we will continue to ensure all students and employees can learn and work in a safe and nurturing environment,” District 2 said in an email.

“The student returned to class without incident after removing the patches of semi-automatic weapons from the backpack,” the district added.

This new development begs the question: if the real problem was Rodriguez wearing patches with semiautomatic weapons, why did Assistant Principal Danjuma admonish him over the Gadsden flag instead?

Semi-automatic weapons were not mentioned at all in the viral video.

Sounds like Harrison District 2 felt compelled to insert some form of damage control to distract from the school’s apparent intolerance for conservative or Americana regalia.

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