Many Vanguard parents believe the school had no right to threaten Jaiden with suspension over his patch, leading protesters to come together to fight for the students’ First Amendment right to free speech.
A parent, Ricky said, “I want my kid to be able to express what he believes in, and that is part of the first amendment.”
Other parents believe that Vanguard should uphold their content neutral dress code and ban the patch and other political forms of speech, claiming Vanguard’s policies are not for everyone, and Jaiden and his family may want to consider another school.
The conflict quickly gained notoriety outside of the district after Jaiden’s mother leaked her conversation with Vanguard’s administration on social media, landing in newspapers and discussion posts internationally.
Some parents worried that all the recognition the school was receiving may bring unwanted attention. The increased media attention led to many divisive discussions, many of which criticized the school’s policies, even resulting in threats to the administrators and members of the school board. The Vanguard board meeting on September 20 was therefore held virtually because of threats of violence.
In addressing the conflict, Vanguard agreed to let Jaiden wear the patch. Despite the school’s official statement, Jaiden and his family believe the school may revert to their original position. The Rodriguez family has filed a lawsuit challenging the wording of their Gadsden flag policy. Vanguard responded saying that “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.
The Rodriguez family alleges they’ve experienced retaliation from the community as a result of Jaiden’s free speech and have suffered personally in the fallout. Fractures formed down ideological lines in their family as they weathered angry emails from loved ones, according to the student’s mother. “This sucks. This has not been a win for our family. It’s been a win for our country, and I’m really glad about that, but I’m not glad about anything else,” Eden Rodriguez said.
Vanguard parents also flooded Facebook pages with critical commentary accusing her of forcing her beliefs on her child and of attention seeking. Some of her son’s classmates have threatened to “cancel him” and make repeated inappropriate gestures or comments at school.
The only thing both sides can agree on is wanting to clear up this whole mess. The parents of Jaiden along with the school want to get this over with for Jaiden’s sake. With all of the bullying and hate speech going around to not only Jaiden but also to the school it is clear everybody now just wants this to end.
