A 13-year-old student at Plaza Middle School in Virginia Beach, Va., was given in-school suspension after a teacher reported he used an American flag to wipe his hands after going to the bathroom, WTKR-TV reports.

According to the station, the young boy claimed there were no napkins left in the bathroom when the teacher confronted about the incident.

“[This has been] very traumatic,” Victoria Hinton, the boy's mother, told WTKR-TV. “It has had an emotional impact on my son’s education.”

Hinton also spoke with WAVY-TV, telling the station she believed the teacher overreacted in handling the situation.

"Why didn't you just take him aside and first ask him, 'Hey, is everything okay?''' Hinton told the station. "And then proceed by saying, 'well, you know, the American flag is something we respect and we hold very high in our country, so you know, just keep that in mind.'"

Despite his mothers' protest, the school maintains the boy was "disciplined in accordance with the Code of Student Conduct."