13-Year-Old Denied Speaking During California School Election Over ‘Patriotic’ Content

A Catholic school principal in Huntington Beach, California is under scrutiny for allegedly denying a student the opportunity to speak during a school election due to the patriotic content of his speech. Thirteen-year-old Jimmy Heyward, a student at Saint Bonaventure Catholic School, was running for the position of “Commissioner of School Spirit and Patriotism” but was not allowed to deliver his speech at a school rally. Principal Mary Flock asked Jimmy to remove a paragraph about patriotism from his speech, and when he did not comply, he was not permitted to speak. Despite efforts to reword the speech, Jimmy was only allowed to address school spirit, leading to a confrontation between his father, Eda Heyward, and the principal. The father alleged that the principal changed the title of the position at the last minute and left his son humiliated in front of his classmates. The incident led to a call to the police to remove the father from the campus, but responding officers sided with him and permitted him to stay. The family has since started a petition calling for the removal of Principal Flock. The school did not respond to requests for comment. Can you provide a rephrased version of this text?

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