A South Carolina teacher who stomped on an America flag in front of three different classes, saying it's "only a piece of cloth" that doesn't "mean anything," has been suspended.
Students were reportedly appalled as they watched English teacher Scott Compton throw the flag to the floor and trample on it as part of a planned lesson.
After Compton was placed on leave from the high school in the small town of Chapin, S.C., his lawyer told WIS-TV that his client meant no disrespect.
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Attorney Darryl D. Smalls said the 12-year teacher was attempting to show his classes that America is an "inspirational idea," greater than the "material objects that represent it," during a lesson on symbolism.
School Superintendent Stephen Hefner recommended Compton's firing on Wednesday, according to
North Carolina’s News Observer.
Mark Bounds, a spokesman for the Lexington-Richland 5 school district and also a military veteran of 20 years, told the TV station he was unhappy with Compton's action.
“Our flag is a symbol of our freedom, and so many people have fought and died for that liberty, and so we take this action very seriously,” he said.
Bounds said there is a code of ethics for the school's teachers and that personal opinions are supposed to be kept out of the classroom.
"Many people have rushed to vilify my client based on one segment of the story related through a secondhand account," Smalls wrote in an e-mail. "My client has had an exemplary 12-year teaching career and was only trying to create a forum for discussion using a powerful symbol with which all his students would be familiar."
Compton appears to have other supporters.
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"There are so few teachers in South Carolina willing to show students a broader perspective," one person wrote on the local Patch website. "When we are lucky enough to have one, they should be supported, not undermined. Obviously the administration and parents need to sit in on the lesson and listen as well."
Compton's classes will have a replacement for the rest of the year. On Monday, school board officials will decide whether to replace Compton permanently.
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