Noble High School in Berwick took down an Israeli flag found flying above an American flag on school property on Monday after an image of it began circulating on social media.
Principal AJ Dufort explained that the flag was not placed by the school and that they believe it was flown by vandals.
[RELATED: Noble High School Student Killed in Crash with Amtrak Train…]
“This morning, we became aware that an Israeli flag had been raised on a flagpole near our athletic fields without authorization. The flag was not placed by the school, was not part of any school-sponsored activity, and should not be interpreted as a message or position of the school,” said the principal in a statement posted to the school’s website.
The incident hit social media when one user, Jacob Tibbetts, posted a picture of what appeared to be the Israeli flag flying on a pole above the American flag.
Tibbetts appears to have deleted the post, but the incident was confirmed by the school, who also admitted that photos related to the incident have circulated online, suggesting that the photo was real.
The photo of a foreign flag flying over an American one on U.S. soil drew outrage on social media, with users pointing out that U.S. law actually prohibits the display of other flags above that of the U.S.
“No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof,” says U.S. law
Principal Dufort said that the school currently believes that the flag was flown as a prank or an act of vandalism and that it was first flown either sometime over the weekend or early Monday morning before school.
The flagpole is not in clear view of the school building, Dufort said, and staff were not immediately aware of the situation.
As soon as they learned of it, the flag was taken down.
He was careful to point out that neither the flying of the flag nor its removal should be interpreted as political statements.
“The removal of the unauthorized flag should not be interpreted as a statement regarding Israel, any other nation, or any political, religious, or geopolitical issue,” he said.
He claimed that some of the information about the incident circulating online is incomplete or inaccurate.
Currently, the school is reviewing the matter to determine exactly what occurred.
The Maine Wire reached out to the school by email, asking whether any progress has been made on determining who flew the flag or whether officials believe the flag was flown by a school student or staff member, but they did not immediately respond.
