WARREN, Mich. – A senior at Warren Mott High School was suspended Thursday morning after flying the Confederate flag on the back of his truck and parking on school property.
Ryan Delcato, 17, was sent home for the day.
The superintendent said this is the third time Delicato brought the flag to school. On Wednesday, Delicato was warned he would be suspended if he did it again.
“They said I was harming other kid’s education and everything because it’s a distraction,” Delicato said.
Delicato said the Confederate flag is not racist, but a symbol of his family’s history.
“It’s for our southern heritage,” Delicato said. “Not for race. Nothing like that.”
Many others disagree. The superintendent said numerous students complained about the flag and staged a protest. At one point, someone even cut down Delicato’s confederate flag.
Ryan Delicato’s father Gary Delicato disagrees with his son’s suspension.
“A child who takes one thing the wrong way and now it’s blown up into this,” Gary Delicato said. “I understand that people have some issues with the flag, I understand that, but we can’t all stop doing things just because somebody doesn’t like something.”
The superintendent said while they respect the first amendment, their policy prohibits them from allowing anyone to bring materials to school that could be disruptive and that includes the Confederate flag. She said that if Ryan Delicato brings the flag to school again he will be suspended again followed by a more progressive discipline.