ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — More than 100 students were in trouble at Oak Ridge High School for wearing a Haitian flag to class as a bandanna. They wore the flags on Haitian Flag Day, a national holiday in Haiti, until the school ordered the students to remove them. Some students were even suspended.
In Haiti, Tuesday was considered a day of pride. At Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, senior Cassandra Fleurant said it was a day of turmoil.
"We felt disrespected," Fleurant said.
More than 100 students of Haitian decent brought the flags to school and they were quickly confiscated.
"Student most everybody was in trouble. They had big zip lock bags and they were taking our bandanna away," Fleurant said.
Leroy Charles said he was suspended for ten days when he refused to turn over the bandanna he displayed from his pocket.
"It's very disappointing. It wasn't on my wrist or around my neck. It was in my pocket," Charles said.
The district says the flags only became a problem when the students folded them up into bandannas; the district says they could be seen as gang symbols.
District officials sent WFTV their code of conduct which states: "Bandannas are prohibited."
There are close to 6,000 students of Haitian decent in Orange County schools. The district had this message for them: "Orange County Public Schools respects the culture, language, and customs of all of our students. We currently have students enrolled who come from 212 different countries and speak 166 different languages. We truly are diverse."
Cassandra says she'll feel respected when the school shows some remorse.
"What they did yesterday was messed up. It was beyond disrespect and all we want is an apology," she said.
Some students said they were also asked to change or cover-up t-shirts displaying the Haitian flag. The district, however, denies that and said the only problem was the bandanna.
Some students protested Wednesday by refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.