J.P. Taravella High School students in Coral Springs were getting an experiential lesson on First Amendment rights and the controversies of self expression.
A day after Lisa Pannazzo, the school's assistant principal, snatched a flag from a student and told her to take down her posts about the incident on Twitter, dozens of others showed up to school with flags to protest.
There were flags from Argentina, Uruguay, Jamaica, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico and plenty of Haitian flags. And later there was a food fight. Sebastian Stewart took part in the peaceful demonstration.
"I believe that this was a really important event, because everybody got together representing where we are from," said Stewart, who added that the event was a good sign, because it showed the acceptance of a diverse society.
Danitra Toomer said Pannazzo disrupted her celebration of the historic May 18, 1803 when the island adopted the flag of the revolution. Pannazo perceived the patriotism as a violation of the dress code, according to the Broward County Public Schools. Students let it be known on Friday that they weren't having it.
Some of the rules are designed to keep signs of gang affiliations out of school. There have been gangs in South Florida that have identified with Haitian pride. And similar legal issues have been raised in other school districts over the display of the Confederate flag, a symbol known to exacerbate racial hostilities. But Danitra and her friends said they were celebrating Haitian history.
In Central Florida, at the Immokalee High School, school there was a similar confusion. Administrators sent at least six students home, despite having a dress code exception for holidays. Cassidy Previlus told the Naples Daily News that he was wearing a T-shirt with the Haitian flag when a school administrator sent him home.
"I felt discriminated. We weren't allowed to wear our own shirts," Cassidy said during the Naples Daily News interview. "I understand them taking bandanas, but a T-shirt?"