After reports of an upside-down flag outside Oberlin High School appeared on social media Wednesday morning, school officials rushed to turn it right side up. Oberlin superintendent David Hall called the incident a prank.

“I can’t assume,” Hall told the Chronicle-Telegram, “but it may have something to do with the election.”

Very keen, Mr. Hall. Very keen indeed.

Later in the day, Hall sent an email to parents saying that the prank was in fact an act committed by vandals, and that because the flag isn’t raised and lowered each day, turning it upside down was intentional.

The flag was only upside down for a few hours, though. Hall said custodians turned the flag over as soon as they saw the mistake and that he was now reviewing camera footage and talking with security to track down those responsible.

The political statement comes one day after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Students all over the country walked out of classrooms, and protesters took to the streets of America’s major cities.

Here’s the assessment from one Oberlin student:

This article appears in Nov 9-15, 2016.

Sam Allard is a former senior writer at Scene.

One reply on “Upside Down Flag at Oberlin High School Was Work of “Vandals” Says Superintendent”

  1. There are any number of schools that rarely raise and lower the flag each day. Administrators should read the information provided by the American Legion: “The Flag Code states it is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flag staffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed 24 hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness. The American Legion interprets ‘proper illumination’ as a light specifically placed to illuminate the flag (preferred) or having a light source sufficient to illuminate the flag so it is recognizable as such by the casual observer.”

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