A Catholic school expelled three brothers because one of them defied officials by praising patriotism in a school speech.
Administrators at St. Bonaventure Catholic School in Huntington Beach, California, said that they told the boy he was not allowed to include the patriotic phrases in his speech for a school election, but the boy, Jimmy Heyward, used the terms anyway.
The video of the speech shows Jimmy saying “My love for America is my motivation for running for commissioner of patriotism and school spirit. I will make spirit great again. I will make SBS great again.”
“It is an honor to live in this country,” Jimmy continued.
According to reports, the school did not like the Trump-like tenor of the speech.
“I didn’t remove the patriotic part of the speech, that’s the most important part. I’m not removing it,” Jimmy told KTTV-TV.
“Sadly, some people take citizenship for granted. Whether it is disrespecting the people who protect us or eating nachos during the national anthem at a sporting event,” he added.
The school refused to allow him to make the speech and he was forced to sit in silence through the event.
The censorship was bad enough, but as the summer break came, the family was told they were being thrown out of the school.
School authorities claim that the family was being chased out because they violated the Christian code of conduct for creating a “smear campaign against the school and the administration.”
Jimmy’s mother, Hattie Ruggles, disputed the school’s contention, and said, “We’ve just told the truth from day one, Jimmy’s truth. And that’s it. We’re not smearing anything.”
The school also put out a statement:
“As a matter of campus policy, we do not comment on private student or family matters. However, St. Bonaventure Catholic School remains committed to the principles outlined in our Christian Code of Conduct and Parent Handbook. To that end, we expect all parents and students to uphold these standards, which are crucial to developing a respectful and supportive school community for all.”
“We will continue our Christ-centered, faith-based mission of fostering an environment where every student can thrive spiritually and academically.”
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