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Friday, Jan 11, 2013 10:15 PM UTC

Teacher could be fired for stomping on U.S. flag

Scott Compton wanted to teach the difference between symbols and objects -- a lesson lost on his school district

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Topics: flag, American flag, Patriotism, South Carolina, teaching,

Teacher could be fired for stomping on U.S. flag (Credit: Shutterstock/cla78)

A South Carolina English teacher may lose his job for stomping on an American flag during a class demonstration. Scott Compton was attempting to illustrate to his students that the flag was a symbol and also that the physical flag is just piece of cloth — a point likely lost on the class now that Compton has been suspended for treating the “piece of cloth” as such.

Compton, described by a local conservative news site as “very liberal,” teaches in a community with a “robust military community,” adding to sensitivity around the treatment of flags, the HuffPo reported.

Although flag burning and desecration of the flag is legal and constitutionally protected, the Lexington-Richland school district deemed Compton’s behavior “unprofessional and inconsistent with conduct standards.”

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com. More Natasha Lennard.

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