Students from a high school in Washington state had hoped to honor the 20th anniversary of 9/11 by hosting a patriotic-themed football game but the event was cancelled so as to not offend anyone.
KTTH 770/94.5FM reported on the event and host Jason Rantz said the event was cancelled last-minute by an unnamed staff member at Eastlake High School in Sammamish.
A student said he was told the “red, white and blue was going to be seen as racially insensitive and may affect people in a way that we will not understand and for that reason that we were to change our theme”.
KTTH Radio shared an email from one of the school’s associate principals to a parent that said they understand the “sacrifice and values our flag represents, but I think they [school leadership] just did not want to unintentionally cause offense to some who see it differently”.
Rantz said the school’s principal, Chris Bede, and and the district’s communication director did not explain exactly who would be offended by the football players in patriotic colors.
Shannon Parthemer, the communication director, stated, “Since it was not a home game, there was no opportunity to have an announcement about Patriots Day and to share why students were dressed in red, white and blue”.
Rantz’s station said Bede seemed to be taken “by surprise” when the theme was called off. “I do want to clarify that schools do not have a right to ban students from wearing anything as long as it is not lewd, vulgar etc.. And the theme of red, white and blue definitely would not fit into that category”, he told parents.