Aspiring Marine sues after being suspended for calling out high school for not displaying US flags

A Maryland high school senior and aspiring Marine is fighting back after he was suspended for questioning why his school wasn’t displaying the American flag as it is required to do.

Parker Jensen, 18, is suing Baltimore County Public Schools for violating his constitutional rights after he was punished when he asked for answers from administrators at Towson High School about why the there were no flags in his classrooms. His quest to learn the reasoning behind the absence of Old Glory was met with being booted from classes for a week.

(Video: YouTube/WBFF)

“I’m joining the Marine Corps. Patriotism has always been a big thing in mind,” Jensen told WBFF, Baltimore’s Fox affiliate.

“I’m only in two classes,” he said. “But both my classes do not have American flags.”

“I think it’s very important to fight back and Mr. Jensen feels the same way,” said Sarah Spitalnick, a Baltimore-based lawyer who is suing the school district on behalf of the patriotic young man, adding, “I would definitely say it’s some kind of bullying.”

In the April 3 complaint, Spitalnick argues that BCPS, which ranks as the nation’s 22nd largest school system with a $3 billion budget, unlawfully suspended Jensen.

“Absolutely,” Spitalnick said when asked by WBFF’s Project Baltimore if she believed that Jensen’s constitutional rights were violated.

Baltimore County School Board Policy 6307 and Maryland Education Code 7-105 state that it is required for an American flag to be displayed in classrooms, the lack of the flags is therefore in violation of state law and the board’s own policy.

Towson High School is in trouble. Maryland law is quite clear that US flags must be provided and displayed. pic.twitter.com/SBIeUbblHd

— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) April 10, 2025

But when Jensen went to the Baltimore County Board of Education building on March 28 to determine why the flags weren’t displayed, the BCPS called the police and suspended him from school.

“He was summarily suspended without any due process whatsoever, which every student in Baltimore County and Maryland has the right to and they stripped him of that within five seconds,” Spitalnick said.

Jensen is seeking the suspension to be vacated along with monetary damages from the school district. Spitalnick is concerned that the suspension could have a negative impact on the young man’s grades and his future. He is set to report to USMC boot camp this summer but if he later decides to pursue higher education after he’s discharged, the suspension could be a black mark on his college application.

“He got suspended for very little cause,” she told the outlet. “He did nothing wrong besides try to bring forth his First Amendment right and really enforce a Maryland law, which is to have American flags in every single classroom.”

“We’re still pushing to make sure that he has the most successful and active senior year he possibly can,” Spitalnick said.

“I was very frustrated,” Jensen explained. “I feel like what they did was unlawful. You know, we have the right to record government employees in the course of their duties. It just shines a bad light. I believe what I was doing was lawful and I had a reason to be there. And the only reason why they would suspend me is because they know that they’re on the wrong end of that.”

“As of April 1, flags have been installed in the classrooms that did not have them,” Baltimore County Public Schools told Fox 45.

Staff Writer

Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.

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