An Oklahoma high school is banning a student from putting an American flag on his own truck because they fear it might “disturb” his classmates. The city is not happy about it.

Caleb Horst, a 12th-grader at Edmond North High School, says school administrators told him last week he had to remove the U.S. flag from his car while on school property, even though the 12th-grader said he had flown it before and never had a problem.

“I’ve never really had a problem with it, and it’s our First Amendment, so it’s pretty difficult for them to violate our rights,” Horst told Oklahoma media outlet KOCO.

However, the school sees things differently.

NO AMERICAN FLAG ALLOWED ON PERSONAL CARS

In a statement, Edmond North told KOCO that it has a “no flag” rule “designed to avoid disruption and distraction” and is enforced to “create a safe school environment as flying flags on vehicles creates safety issues.”

As criticism grew, the school another statement as they tried to clarify their position on the flag and make sure people knew they weren’t specifically attacking the American flag. “To be clear, this is not about the American flag or patriotism. Edmond Public Schools proudly displays the American flag in an appropriate, respectful manner outside each of our buildings and in our classrooms.”

The retraction statement made matters worse, however, as many argued that if they were as proud of the American flag as they claimed, why wouldn’t they make an exception in the school parking lot? If every student sees the flag everywhere in school anyway, what’s the problem?

And in a show of great patriotism, the community responded with a vehicle “sit-in” – over 50 vehicles occupied the high school parking lot and proudly waved the American flag. The “protest” was peaceful and there were no incidents. In fact, at one point everyone recited the Pledge of Allegiance. So much for the school’s claim that the flag was “divisive and disruptive.”

In response to criticism the school is receiving for its lame flag policy, Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters said he is working on new policies to “ensure that no student is ever held accountable for possessing an American flag.” He also said he will be in touch with Edmond High School’s administration to find out why they reacted the way they did in the first place.

A story like this should make all Americans proud – especially as we continue to live in divisive times ahead of the upcoming presidential election. Kudos to all the people who peacefully protested the school for not allowing the American flag to be flown.