California middle schooler, sisters booted from private school over ‘spirit, patriotism’ election speech, mom claims
A patriotic middle schooler who was “humiliated” by his principal when he was barred from giving his school election speech has been kicked out of the school, the student’s mother claims.
Hattie Ruggles shared the news Tuesday that her son Jimmy Heyward and his two sisters would not be returning to Saint Bonaventure Catholic School in Huntington Beach, Calif., over a violation of the school’s code of conduct.
“Finally heard from St. Bonaventure. This morning we received an email terminating Jimmy, Alice, and Livia from the school and will not allow them to return next year,” Ruggles shared on Facebook along with a photo of the termination letter, referencing her three children.
The school says the decision to terminate the three students was due to “serious violations of the Christian Code of Conduct and the Parent Electronic Communication Policy,” according to the letter signed by the Rev. Vincent Pham, the parish’s pastor.
The alleged violations came after May 16, when Jimmy was supposed to give his speech to his classmates while he ran for “commissioner of school spirit and patriotism” as part of the school’s elections.
During preparation for the role, Jimmy wrote his speech, which featured some patriotic elements that the school perceived to violate the Christian Code of Conduct.
“My love for America is my motivation for running for Commissioner of Patriotism and School Spirit. It is my honor to live in this country. Sadly, some people take their citizenship for granted, whether it is disrespecting the people who protect us or eating nachos during the national anthem at sporting events,” Jimmy wrote in the speech.
“Many people recite the Pledge of Allegiance without understanding the meaning. If someone doesn’t truly know what they are pledging to the United States of America, they might as well be reciting the lyrics to ‘Shake it Off’ by Taylor Swift.”
If elected, Jimmy said, he would undertake the “crucial task” of making SBS more patriotic — and gave a sign-off similar to former President Donald Trump.
“I will make the school spirit great again! I will make patriotism within SBS great again! And most importantly I will MAKE SBS GREAT AGAIN! Thank you and God Bless Saint Bonaventure Catholic School!”
A campaign sign created for Jimmy read “Heyward — Commissioner of Patriotism and School Spirit — Make SBS Great Again.”
All speeches had to receive advance approval from school officials, and Jimmy’s was not approved, while his mother admitted that some portions were a “little combative for a school speech.”
The family spent the night before the speech revising and rewriting some of the wording and “by the end of editing, it ended up sounding really good and something we were all proud of,” Ruggles said.
However, school principal Mary Flock barred Jimmy from giving his speech unless he removed all references to patriotism.
Ruggles claimed Flock’s ruling was because she didn’t hold the same views as her son and that the principal was suppressing the 13-year-old’s freedom of speech.
In Tuesday’s letter, the school allegedly accused the family of speaking to administrators in a way “that is not in line with our expectations of respectful and courteous communication,” “posting disparaging remarks about the administration” that led to a “smear campaign,” and inviting outside groups to an unsanctioned event on parish grounds.
The family was also allegedly accused of creating a petition demanding the removal of Flock, which received over 6,700 signatures, and making threats toward the administration.
“These actions have negatively impacted the school community and go against the principles we strive to uphold,” the letter read. “Please understand that this decision is made in the best interest of maintaining the standards and values that are central to our school’s mission.”
Ruggles’ petition seemingly worked as parents were informed last month that Flock left her position at the school, according to a mass email dated May 23 sent by the school and shared by Ruggles on Change.org.
“It is with sadness that I inform you that Principal Mary Flock will not be returning to St. Bonaventure next school year,” the email sent to the school community read.
