North Carolina high school reverses ban on student’s American flag-painted parking spot after mom speaks out

On Friday, Lindsey Belue Anderson, whose son attends Marvin Ridge High School in Union County, said in a post on social media that school officials rejected his proposed parking space design, which included the American flag and his name. The School allows seniors to paint their assigned parking spaces, provided their designs receive approval. Anderson claimed that administrators denied her son’s submission because it “might offend others.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Anderson said. “It makes me want to pull him out of school right now.”

The post quickly went viral on social media, prompting concerns from Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon.

“It might offend some patriots to park a dirty car on the nation’s flag,” Dhillon said. “The bigger question is what the overall policy is and is it enforced evenly.”

According to the Charlotte Observer, Union County Public Schools said on Friday that the design was denied over concerns that a student parking on the flag and students walking over it may offend people, not the flag itself.

“Union County Public Schools respects the U.S. flag and what it represents,” the district told the outlet. “A Marvin Ridge High student’s request to paint the American flag on his senior parking space was originally denied due to concerns about the standards of respect and expectations set by the U.S. flag code.”

The school has since changed its tune, issuing a statement in which it reversed the ban. The school stated, “After additional discussions, school administrators will allow the request as it was submitted for the 2026-2027 school year.”