
One of the students, Alex Dunn, said that he couldn't believe what he was seeing and that he was heartbroken. Alex took a picture with his cell phone of Francis stepping on the flag, then walked up to where the flag was, picked it up and walked out of class with another student. Alex went straight to the principal's office and told Pamela Adams (the principal) what had just happened. Francis tried to justify the incident, saying, "It was really a simple demonstration to show what my First Amendment rights entail," citing a 1989 Supreme Court decision, Texas v. Johnson, which ruled that flag desecration is protected by the First Amendment.


Francis, who was suspended, said that the student (Alex) is the one who should be punished. For what? No doubt for standing up and exposing him! Alex said, "We all understand why he did it. We just don't think he should have taught it that way." When asked by an interviewer, "Is it cool now to not like America?" Alex replied, "It's becoming a 'norm' to not be patriotic, something that I honestly fear."
"Why do you fear that?" pressed the interviewer.
Alex responded, "A country that is not patriotic about itself is ultimately doomed." He's right!