The teacher who desecrated the American flag inside a North Carolina classroom told me he has no regrets and wants the student who photographed him to be punished.
(FOX)- Lee Francis, a first year history teacher at Massey Hill Classical High School in Fayetteville, has been placed on administrative leave while the school district investigates the incident.
Francis admitted stomping on an American flag Monday during a lesson on the First Amendment. A photo of the incident, taken by a student, was posted on Facebook and went viral.
“Do I regret what I did? Absolutely not,” Mr. Francis told me in an exclusive telephone interview. “Would I do it again? All I can say is I did it and I stand by it.”
Mr. Francis said he has obtained legal counsel.
“There were some laws broken as far as photos of me taken that violate the county’s policies – and issues that could be considered defamation of character,” he said.
He said the student who snapped the photo of the flag desecration “broke the law.”
“I believe that child does need to be punished in some way – absolutely,” he said. “I can’t take a picture of them and in turn they cannot do the same of me.”
(Photo Credit: Fox News)