There was an unusually large attendance at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Vidalia City Board of Education and most of them were there to hear a mother and her son address the members of the Board.

Last month, the son, a student at J.R. Trippe Middle School, was singled out for wearing an American flag on a shirt to school that was interpreted by the administration as being in violation of the dress code. The student as well as his mother staunchly oppose the principal’s opinion.

“I was told that the flag was an emblem just like every other, but that’s not true,” the student said. “We don’t have another emblem in front of the school, or in our classrooms that we pledge to every morning. I find it ironic that we can wear Vidalia school designs because we’re in Vidalia schools, but we can’t wear the American flag when we’re in the United States of America.”

His mother added, “I was told when I called Dr. Reid that it was an image. It is not an image; it is our flag. I was also told that an emblem had to be no larger than a credit card. That was not communicated to me as a parent.”

Also addressing the board Tuesday night was another passionate parent who says while he’s half Lebanese, he stands for the American flag as well with the veterans who fought to protect it.

The Board, adhering to their policy, made no comments in the open meeting Tuesday night but assured they would respond in writing to the appropriate parties. After the meeting, some parents stated that if they were not satisfied with the answer, they would appear at subsequent meetings until a satisfactory resolution was met.