Missing American Flags Sparks Protest, Suspension At Towson High: Report

TOWSON, MD — A Towson High School senior who hopes to join the Marines alleged that he was unlawfully suspended after raising concerns about his classrooms lacking an American flag, FOX 45 reported recently.

Maryland law and Baltimore County Board of Education policy require every classroom to have a flag.

FOX 45 on April 7 reported that Parker Jensen asked his vice principal why two classrooms didn't have flags, but the 18-year-old never received a full answer. Jensen left classes on March 28 and videotaped his visit to the Baltimore County Board of Education offices, where he asked to speak with someone about the missing flags. Jensen waited for nearly an hour, but FOX 45 reported that five police cars showed up and escorted him off the premises.

"I was very frustrated," Jenson told FOX 45, noting that he hired an attorney to challenge the suspension. "I feel like what they did was unlawful. You know, we have the right to record government employees in the course of their duties. It just shines a bad light. I believe what I was doing was lawful and I had a reason to be there. And the only reason why they would suspend me is because they know that they're on the wrong end of that."

Baltimore County Public Schools told Patch it "is unable to provide comment on specific student records or disciplinary action," but an official shared an update on the flags.

"Towson High School administration was already in the process of investigating and addressing the report of missing American flags prior to the individual's visit to the Greenwood campus. As of April 1, flags have been installed in the classrooms that did not have them," BCPS spokesperson Gboyinde Onijala told Patch in a Tuesday email.

To see video from Jensen's visit to the school board, check out FOX 45's full story.