Excerpted from Tamar Lapin’s article in the New York Post:
A high school cheerleading squad in North Carolina was put on probation Monday for posing with a pro-President Trump banner at a football game.
Members of the North Stanly High School squad posed for photos with the “Trump 2020: Make America Great Again” flag at an Aug. 30 game on “American Night” — in which students were encouraged to dress patriotically, the Stanly News & Press reported.
One photo — depicting seven girls in red, white and blue cheer uniforms and two boys in red “MAGA” caps with the banner — circulated on social media.
Some residents questioned why the political message had been allowed. All North Carolina high schools have a policy that prohibits students from displaying political signs on campus or at school events.
“Because the cheerleaders were in uniform and were acting as representatives of the school, the display of the sign could be perceived as the school or school system endorsing a political campaign,” the officials said.
Should the North Stanly High School cheerleading squad have been reprimanded? Put on probation?
In a word, yes. Every one of the squad members has a right to his/her opinion. But when you put on the school uniform your opinion – at least, perceptually – becomes the school’s opinion as well.
They were lucky to get off with nothing more than what, the article explains, is really little more than a mild reprimand.
I am assuming – maybe hoping is the right word – that these same rules are applied for other public high schools in North Carolina as well.
