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A Laguna Beach High School student, Zach Hornstein, says he was suspended for two days after wearing a Make America Great Again hat to campus on September 11 as a tribute to Charlie Kirk, who had been killed the day before. Hornstein says a female classmate ripped the hat off his head, hurled it in a trash can, and launched into a profanity-laced tirade against President Trump before the confrontation escalated. Instead of punishing the aggressor, the school disciplined the student who was targeted for his political expression.
According to school reports a teacher claimed Hornstein told a group of girls to “go back to where they came from,” an allegation Hornstein strongly denies, and the girl involved reportedly told administrators she never heard him say that. This is the same tired playbook we see across the country: when conservatives are harassed, narratives are rushed to paint the victim as the perpetrator. Parents and students deserve the truth, not a convenient version that protects the bully and punishes the patriot.
The school district says it is reviewing the incident and insisted it would not punish a student simply for wearing a hat, yet Hornstein still walked away suspended for “harassment.” That answer rings hollow when the evidence and eyewitness accounts point toward a clear double standard on political expression. It is not enough for administrators to issue vague statements and move on—accountability and transparency must follow.
This episode is not isolated; in the chaotic aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination there have been multiple incidents on campuses where conservative students or staff were mocked, threatened, or removed while those who celebrated violence faced different consequences. Texas State quickly removed a student who publicly mocked Kirk’s death, and school districts in other states have suspended employees over violent social media posts, showing a patchwork of responses that confuses rather than protects students. Americans watching this pattern should be alarmed that political violence and harassment are being judged so inconsistently.
Hardworking parents cannot sit idly by while schools teach their children that patriotism and conservative belief are punishable offenses. It’s time for local school boards to defend free speech plainly, to discipline instigators rather than victims, and to restore common-sense standards that protect every student’s right to express political views without fear of retribution. Stand up for your kids, demand answers, and refuse to let our institutions teach our children that loving America is a punishable insult.
