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Colorado School Board Hands Victory to Child Sporting a Gadsden Flag on Backpack

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  August 30, 2023 9:00 AM

A Colorado Springs school board walked back a decision from a school administrator that a student could not display a Gadsden flag on his backpack.

The update came after video of the administrator telling the boy’s mother that her son could not return to class with the Gadsden flag patch on the bag went viral. Even Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, weighed in. 

"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, is recorded saying. 

The boy’s mother informs her that the flag was a symbol used during the Revolutionary War and did not promote slavery, but to no avail. 

“I am here to enforce the policy that was provided, by the district, and definitely, you have every right to not agree to it,” Danjuma responds. 

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With the incident thrust into the national spotlight, however, the school’s board of directors called an emergency meeting and reversed course. 

“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 told Vanguard families in an email.