- April 26, 2024
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Flagler Palm Coast High junior Jack Petocz was back in school in the afternoon on Monday, March 7, after being indefinitely suspended March 3 for passing out gay pride flags at a student protest, his fellow organizer said.
A change.org petition seeking to rescind Petocz's suspension was closed Monday night after it was signed by 7,559 supporters. Fellow FPC junior Cameron Driggers, who started the petition, wrote “Victory! Jack is back at school! After days of public pressure to reconsider his actions, Principal (Greg) Schwartz has invited Jack back to campus without placing any permanent stains on his record.”
Petocz organized the “Say Gay” student walk-out Thursday, March 3 at FPC and other schools statewide, including Matanzas High. The students were protesting the “Parental Rights in Education Bill,” which the Senate passed March 8 and is now awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature.
“I can say that any petition had absolutely no impact on what the school administration decided.”
JASON WHEELER, School district spokesman
Driggers, who also helped organize the FPC protest, said the organizers were told an hour before the protest that flags would be banned at the rally, but Petocs had purchased about 200 mini pride flags the night before to pass out to protesters.
The Flagler County school district released a statement after the protests March 3, saying, “Student leaders were told ‘no flags’ prior to and at the beginning of the event so as to avoid undue safety concerns and campus disruptions.”
Driggers said Petocz missed two and a half days of school. Schwartz and Petocz could not be reached for comment.
School district spokesman Jason Wheeler said the district could not comment on specific students due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
“However, I can say that any petition had absolutely no impact on what the school administration decided,” Wheeler said.
He said “a handful of students” at both FPC and Matanzas were disciplined in accordance to the Student Code of Conduct based actions that took place at the protests. He said the punishments were school-based decisions.
The bill (HB 1557), dubbed “The Don't Say Gay” bill would prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. For older students, the bill would bar such instruction that is “not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” as determined by state academic standards.
