Patriotism vs. Racism: Let's Discuss

The actions of four students and the administration at nearby Camarillo High School Thursday night have got the county talking.

At a basketball game against long-time rivals Rio Mesa High School, administrators asked the students to leave because they were wearing American flag bandannas, which the administrator said could be viewed as "offensive," according to a report that that was posted to CNN's iReport early Wednesday morning.

IReport is CNN's citizen journalism platform that allows community members share photos and news items of their own.

The students stood outside for a while and then decided to run back into the gym and prompted the crowd to begin a "USA, USA" chant.

"Then the students were forced out of the gym, suspended for five days, and not allowed back on school grounds," the iReport, posted by someone with the user name Fishergirl95, said.

The administration's actions sparked students to rally the next morning at the school's flagpole, the ejected students told the Ventura County Star. Calls for action were made by students via social networks.

"Everyone should meet at (the) flag pole tomorrow morning and say the pledge loud and proud during homeroom," wrote Madison Williams via Twitter.

Since the iReport and Star article, a tweet by Austin Medeiros, one of the students involved reports the suspencion was lifted.

Camarillo High principal Glenn Lipman told the Star there never was a suspencion. Instead, he said, the students were asked to leave the campus and meet in his office the next morning.

He went on to tell the Star that because the schools have diverse student bodies, the chant could be interpreted in different ways and he wanted to make sure the chant wasn't racially motivated.

"I told the kids I just want to be sensitive to the feelings of everybody," he told the Star.

While Camarillo High's population is nearly equal in white to Hispanic students, Rio Mesa has a 67 percent Hispanic student population and a 41 percent white student population.

But the students told the Star the bandannas and chanting weren't something they did just for the Rio Mesa game. Medeiros said he wears it to other sporting events as well.

"I will always be proud of where I come from and what my flag represents!," he Tweeted. "No matter what anyone tells me! I stand up for what I believe in!"

What do you think? Were the students in the wrong? Was the administration?