Cameron Blasek, who attends East Central High School, was ordered by school officials to remove Old Glory from the back of his pickup truck or get punished by the school for ignoring the demand.
In a Fox News interview, Blasek said he told school officials he would not remove the flag.
“I was always taught never to back down on a situation that you believe in. That's just the way I was raised,” Blasek said. “My family raised me that way and I'm very grateful for it. "
To fight back, Blasek read through his school handbook and told the school he failed to find any rule about flying a flag on school property.
Meanwhile, his standoff with the school went viral on X, formerly Twitter, and a post about Blasek climbed to 6 million views.
Soon other students came to school flying the American flag, too, to support him.
Amid the backlash, high school principal Tom Black insisted no one at East Central High was offended by the flag or complained about it. Rather, he said, the school had followed a no-flag rule for years for the safety of teenage drivers.
In the end, however, Black and the school district gave in and announced U.S. flags would be permitted to fly, without punishment, at East Central High.
