A junior at Flagler Palm Coast High School was removed from the school Thursday, escorted off campus, after organizing a walk-out to protest the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill.Jack Petocz, 17, promoted a walkout and rally on social media at his school and it spread throughout the state. Now he’s home consulting lawyers.WESH 2 spoke with Jack Petocz over the phone. For now, based on possible legal action, he has been told not to do interviews but we have previously done stories with Petocz. Most recently, a week ago.“It’s limiting that safe space at school,” Petocz said.Petocz, an openly gay student, told us then why he opposed House Bill 1557, nicknamed the Don’t Say Gay bill. It bans discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-3 and limits discussions in other grades.“Students might feel more comfortable at school. I know that I was,” Petocz said.In protest, Petocz promoted school rallies and walkouts on social media and said administrators at Flagler Palm Coast High School gave him the OK. He shared pictures of the rally involving hundreds of students, many waving Pride flags. Petocz wrote in a statement that that’s when things took a turn. He says administrators started confiscating the flags but that he “encouraged my fellow students not to give in to the school’s unconstitutional seizure.”After the rally, Petocz says he was suspended though the district calls it “administratively removed.” School district spokesman Jason Wheeler says some of the behavior, including waving flags that could offend someone else, violated the school’s code of conduct.“That was not acceptable. They were told not to do certain things and they went ahead and did that in the face of the warnings,” Wheeler said.The spokesman says Petocz’s actions and that of others are currently under review.Petocz told us he’s never been disciplined before but won’t be silenced and is proud of what took place despite the personal cost.
A junior at Flagler Palm Coast High School was removed from the school Thursday, escorted off campus, after organizing a walk-out to protest the so-called Don’t Say Gay bill.
Jack Petocz, 17, promoted a walkout and rally on social media at his school and it spread throughout the state. Now he’s home consulting lawyers.
WESH 2 spoke with Jack Petocz over the phone. For now, based on possible legal action, he has been told not to do interviews but we have previously done stories with Petocz. Most recently, a week ago.
“It’s limiting that safe space at school,” Petocz said.
Petocz, an openly gay student, told us then why he opposed House Bill 1557, nicknamed the Don’t Say Gay bill. It bans discussions about gender identity and sexual orientation in grades K-3 and limits discussions in other grades.
“Students might feel more comfortable at school. I know that I was,” Petocz said.
In protest, Petocz promoted school rallies and walkouts on social media and said administrators at Flagler Palm Coast High School gave him the OK. He shared pictures of the rally involving hundreds of students, many waving Pride flags. Petocz wrote in a statement that that’s when things took a turn. He says administrators started confiscating the flags but that he “encouraged my fellow students not to give in to the school’s unconstitutional seizure.”
After the rally, Petocz says he was suspended though the district calls it “administratively removed.” School district spokesman Jason Wheeler says some of the behavior, including waving flags that could offend someone else, violated the school’s code of conduct.
“That was not acceptable. They were told not to do certain things and they went ahead and did that in the face of the warnings,” Wheeler said.
The spokesman says Petocz’s actions and that of others are currently under review.
Petocz told us he’s never been disciplined before but won’t be silenced and is proud of what took place despite the personal cost.
