We got a wild story out of California.
A patriotic middle schooler named Jimmy Heyward, who, along with his two sisters, has been kicked out of Saint Bonaventure Catholic School in Huntington Beach, California. His mom, Hattie Ruggles, claims this drastic action comes after a series of events that started with Jimmy being barred from delivering his school election speech. Let’s dive into what happened.
Recenlty, Hattie Ruggles shared the shocking news on Facebook. She revealed that her children, Jimmy, Alice, and Livia, would not be returning to Saint Bonaventure Catholic School next year. The decision was based on “serious violations of the Christian Code of Conduct and the Parent Electronic Communication Policy,” according to a termination letter from the school’s pastor, Rev. Vincent Pham.
This is Jimmy. A middle schooler in California. He ran for “Commissioner of School Spirit & Patriotism” at school.
His principal allegedly made him change his speech and remove all mention of patriotism. When he refused, she reportedly didn’t allow him to give the speech and he… pic.twitter.com/25IaDjP5Zw
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 21, 2024
Oh and for the keyboard warriors on the whole, “it’s a private school they can do what they want.” Not exactly, read 1st Amendment case law.
The trouble began on May 16, when Jimmy was preparing to give a speech for his candidacy as “commissioner of school spirit and patriotism.” Jimmy’s speech, filled with patriotic sentiments, apparently clashed with the school’s Christian Code of Conduct. In his speech, Jimmy expressed his love for America and criticized those who he felt took their citizenship for granted. He also made a bold comparison, saying people who don’t understand the Pledge of Allegiance might as well recite the lyrics to a Taylor Swift song.
Jimmy’s campaign slogan was strikingly similar to that of former President Donald Trump: “I will make the school spirit great again! I will make patriotism within SBS great again! And most importantly I will MAKE SBS GREAT AGAIN!” His campaign sign echoed this sentiment.
However, school principal Mary Flock deemed Jimmy’s speech inappropriate unless all references to patriotism were removed. Jimmy’s mother admitted some parts of the speech were a bit combative for a school setting. Nonetheless, the family revised the speech, believing it was finally something they could all be proud of. Despite these changes, Jimmy was barred from delivering his speech.
First, what’s the point of having a “commissioner of school spirit and patriotism” if you can’t mention patriotism? Second, why do liberals pick on kids?
Hattie Ruggles accused Principal Flock of suppressing her son’s freedom of speech due to differing views. The conflict escalated, leading to allegations that the Ruggles family engaged in disrespectful communication, posted disparaging remarks about the administration, and even invited outside groups to an unsanctioned event on school grounds. They were also accused of creating a petition to remove Principal Flock, which garnered over 6,700 signatures.
The school’s letter explained that these actions had negatively impacted the school community and violated the principles of respectful and courteous communication. The letter stressed that the decision to terminate the students’ enrollment was made to uphold the school’s standards and values.
There was also some drama online that took place and Flock appears to be a real peach.
After the news story broke Flock shut her X account down and created a new one called @cyberbulles2024. Check out her bio line…
She just changed her bio sentence. She admits it! 😳⬇️
Follow: @Christian360New ✔️ pic.twitter.com/TYnNTkKRZr
— Christian 360° News (@Christian360New) May 22, 2024
However, the petition had some effect. On May 23, the school sent a mass email informing parents that Principal Mary Flock would not be returning the following school year.
