A Massachusetts high school senior's yearbook photo was rejected by school officials who say it shows disrespect for the American flag. But the teen's mother says her daughter was only trying to portray that she is a New England Patriot.
A senior at Foxborough High School, Morgan Truax can be seen in the photo standing in front of the American flag. The photo was placed in the yearbook by the girl's employer to congratulate her.
"The Red Wing Diner, which employs Morgan, purchased a page in Morgan's yearbook to congratulate her on her hard work," Lisa Truax, Morgan's mom, said on Facebook, according to the New York Daily News.
The senior's employer, Liam Murphy, says that the background was not a flag but a backdrop.
"This was simply just one of thousands of photography backdrops to depict the American flag," Murphy said, according to WGNTV. "It is not a real flag, it's not something you would hang on a flag pole, it is literally something that is red, white, and blue, that we found patriotic."
However, the high school will not publish the photo because it shows disrespect.
"The photo showed the United States flag hanging on a wall with the lower portion lying on the floor and the student standing on the flag. We do not view standing on the US Flag as respectful or appropriate." Foxborough High School Principal Diana M. Myers- Pachla said, according to Fox Boston.
Ellen Pillsbury, the yearbook adviser, said they allowed Truax to send another version of the photo where the high school senior is not stepping on the flag. A wife of a United States serviceman offered the high school senior another shoot with the same background but without the flag being stepped on or on the ground.
"It's something that we've hoped for all along," Principal Myers-Pachla commented after the issue was settled, according to the Sun Chronicle. "We all feel that this is a misfortunate incident that got blown way out of proportion."