American Flag

The American flag flies over center field at PNC Park during a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox in Pittsburgh, Monday, June 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

(Gene J. Puskar | The Associated Press)

An Illinois school board has dismissed a high school teacher who stepped on a U.S. flag in class on May 15.

According to the Journal Gazette & Times-Courier, the Martinsville Junior-Senior High School voted 6-0 on Thursday to dismiss English teacher Jordan Parmenter.

The 26-year-old teacher was present at Thursday's meeting, the Journal Gazette continues to report. He addressed the school board and answered questions from individual board members.

Parmenter says the incident occurred while he was teaching a lesson on freedom of speech during a junior-level English class. Attempting to direct attention to a chart, Parmenter says he used a small U.S. flag in the room as a pointer.

The teacher then dropped the flag to the floor and stepped on it to illustrate an example of free speech as part of the lesson that day. Parmenter tells the Journal Gazette that he exercised bad judgment after seeing how upset his students were.

After the incident, the district placed Parmenter on leave for the rest of the school year.

In a letter Parmenter wrote before the meeting, he says: "I know that what I did reflects poorly on the school and I feel terrible that what I did has hurt and offended others. I want to do whatever I can to make amends to those that I have harmed."

Protesters marched outside of the high school in May, carrying the American flag back and forth, WTHI TV reports. The protests have now died down.

In a press release, the high school says many community members "made threats against the teacher on Facebook." The threats were reported to authorities.

Parmenter adds in his apology letter that Martinsville was his favorite teaching position.

"I have loved working for Martinsville and have greatly enjoyed the opportunity to help our students achieve success," he writes. "I assure you that nothing of this nature will ever occur again."