FAIR WARNING – AT 10:23 A.M. ET:  This is happening more and more at schools below the college level.  It reflects the kind of education that teachers themselves are receiving.  From Fox:

The battle over the American flag has reached a middle school art class in California’s Santa Rita School District where a student was told not to draw Old Glory because it was “offensive,” while another student was praised for drawing a picture of President Obama.

Tracy Hathaway, of Salinas, CA, told FOX News Radio her 13-year-old daughter was ordered to stop drawing the American flag and start another project at Gavilan View Middle School.

“She had drawn the flag and was sketching the letters, ‘God bless America,’ when the teacher confronted her,” Hathaway told FOX. “She said, ‘You can’t draw that – that’s offensive.’”

Even more striking, another student in the same art class drew a picture of President Obama and was praised by the teacher.

“The picture of Barack Obama was in red, white and blue hues,” Hathaway said. “ The teacher said it was great. But when it comes to the flag – all of a sudden it was offensive?”

Hathaway said she took her concerns to the principal – and he was “floored” and apologized for what happened. He arranged a meeting with the Hathaways and the teacher.

“My husband point-blank asked her what she found offensive about the picture – the American flag or the words, ‘God Bless America,’” she said. “The teacher didn’t say a word.”

COMMENT:  How many parents are alert to what's being taught in our schools?  And to the behavior of some teachers?

Yes, we've always had a certain number of off-kilter teachers.  I had a few, on both sides of the political aisle.  But stories like this are going to increase unless parents take a more active role in their children's educations.  That is their right and responsibility.  The days when you can send your child to a "good" school and be confident are over. 

Since the sixties, the left has made a concerted effort to influence elementary and secondary education.  After all, consider the fact that Bill Ayers, former radical Weatherman and friend of Barack Obama, is considered a "distinguished" educator.

May 10, 2010