Renew Christian Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, refused a student’s request to create a 9/11 flag memorial display in coordination with Young America’s Foundation’s 9/11: Never Forget Project on September 11.
When RCA Young Americans for Freedom chairman Matthew Mason inquired about organizing a flag display to properly remember the lives lost in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the school’s director, Shannon Carpino, informed him that they “won’t be able to put flags” on the property through email on August 27.
RCA contends that while they could not offer the church property as a space on Saturday, September 11, they offered to allow students to have their memorial flag display on Thursday, September 9, during the day. According to the school, students were not happy with this offering. YAF has not received any evidence that the student was offered another date for the display.
Mason allegedly asked Carpino again in person, to which he claims she expressed concerns that YAF was too political. After clarifying the organization’s status as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Mason says she told him her superiors would need to make the call.
Mason claims he proceeded to ask Carpino’s superior, who claimed that the board of RCA would be responsible for that decision. Despite conveying that the board would get the final say, he allegedly told Mason that the YAF chapter could not participate in the 9/11: Never Forget Project.
“I was shocked,” Mason told YAF Friday.
“Remembering the tragedies of September 11th is extremely important, especially at my school, where every student was born after the horrendous attacks occurred,” he continued.
This week, YAF reported that Ely Memorial High School in Ely, Minnesota outright cancelled their planned memorial, just days before 9/11.
Schools across the country are denying students the ability to remember those who were murdered by radical Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001. On this—the 20th anniversary—when most students do not even remember these attacks, we must continue to teach them. And we must continue to properly honor those who were murdered and why. 9/11 is not political, as much as these schools try to paint it as such.
