When students at a California high school were instructed not to yell “USA” at rallies and sporting events, controversy broke out.
During games and rallies, students at Vista Del Lago High School in Folsom, California, would frequently yell “USA” to demonstrate their patriotism. The pupils are not allowed to chant because, according to school administrators, it could be interpreted as intolerable.

Senior Ryan Bernal told KOVR, “I wasn’t angry, but I was definitely like, ‘Why can’t we chant USA?’” “To state that, as Americans, we are all the same. All of us are Americans. It makes no difference where you are from or what color skin you have.”

Students were introduced to the topic during a leadership class by high school staff.

“There’s a time and a place to yell that and cheer that,” stated Mike Garrison of the California Interscholastic Federation. Daniel Thigpen, the director of Folsom Cordova Unified Communications, stated, “To practice empathy, to practice kindness, and to practice patriotism.

You can do both.” KOVR also noted that the “USA” chant has been used in some schools across the nation in a derogatory manner toward people of different ethnicities. The principal of Vista Del Lago High School sent an email to district families warning against the chant, which was also communicated to students over the school’s P.A. system. The principal stated that occasionally by using the chant, “We can communicate an unintended message.”

“I want to chant USA because I want us to pull together and help, not because I want anybody to feel left out or not a part of our country,” mother Natalie Woodbury said. District officials clarified that there is no ban on chanting “USA.”

Readers shared their thoughts on the story on Facebook. The principal added that the USA chant is welcome, but only at appropriate times, such as after the national anthem or after the Pledge of Allegiance.