Vic Ryckaert

vic.ryckaert@indystar.com

A northern Indiana high school teacher was reprimanded for removing the U.S. flag from a classroom in an incident that pits free speech against state-mandated patriotism.

The Maconaquah High School teacher removed the flag from his classroom Wednesday because he was frustrated by the results of last week's presidential election, Superintendent Doug Arnold said.

"It is certainly not what the Maconaquah School Corporation stands for," Arnold said, noting that the community near Bunker Hill places a high value on patriotism. "That was really inconsistent with what we are and how we want to be known."

The teacher removed the flag Nov. 9, a day after voters elected Donald Trump as the nation's 45th president.

Trump, a Republican, defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton after a divisive campaign marked by insults and angry rhetoric. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will serve as Trump's vice president.

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Arnold declined to release the teacher's name and would not say what subject he teaches. This is the teacher's first year with the school district, Arnold said.

The teacher put the flag back and apologized to his students Nov. 10. A written reprimand was placed in the teacher's personnel file, Arnold said.

"He was very apologetic," Arnold said. "He was acting emotionally."

Indiana law requires that the American flag be displayed in classrooms. In this case, according to a leading civil rights attorney, the law wins and free speech loses.

"I don't think the teacher's First Amendment rights trump his or her obligation to follow the law," said Ken Falk, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. "If this were a bumper sticker or some other personal expression, that would be a different situation, but the flag is required to be there."

Call IndyStar reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2701. Follow him on Twitter:@vicryc.

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