Teen says she was kicked out of Texas graduation for displaying Mexican flag on stage

Mike Stunson
·2 min read
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A Texas teenager said she was kicked out of her high school graduation and had her diploma taken away for displaying a Mexican flag during the ceremony.

But a spokesperson for the school district said Ashley Saucedo violated its protocols, while refuting part of the graduate’s claims.

Ashley Saucedo shared a video on Twitter of her waving the Mexican flag as her name was called Friday during her graduation from Southwest Legacy High School in San Antonio.

The student faced punishment for her actions, she detailed in her post Sunday.

“After walking across the stage, they handed me my diploma and then took it away from me and kicked me out of the Alamodome,” she wrote. “Then I was told if I went back in I was going to be arrested and of course I didn’t resist.”

The school district denied that Saucedo would be arrested if she had reentered the building, according to KSAT, and said officials never warned the graduate she would not get her diploma.

The district did not dispute Saucedo saying she was removed from the ceremony.

“Protocols are applied to ensure events, such as graduation, remain dignified without large disruptions such as props, flags, somersaults, cartwheels, or other actions,” the school district said in a statement to KSAT. “All seniors who attend their commencement ceremony are made aware that breaking these protocols could lead to consequences affecting their participation for the remainder of the ceremony.”

As of Sunday, Saucedo wrote on Twitter she has still not received her diploma.

A classmate created a Change.org petition calling for the school to give Saucedo her diploma and apologize. It has racked up nearly 500 signatures as of Monday afternoon. Saucedo has also demanded an apology.

“I feel like this is so unnecessary due to the fact that showing my pride and love for the country I love, and the school/district not allowing this is considered racist to me and my people,” Saucedo wrote on Twitter. “This is my part where I graduated and not once I feel ashamed of what I did this night, June 4, 2021.”

She said students were given a consent form contract for what was allowed at the graduation. Other students also violated the rules of the contract, according to Saucedo, but they were not removed from the ceremony.

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