Students were ready to wear red, white, and blue colors to honor the lives lost on September 11. But school staff pulled the plug, concerned the expression could be racially insensitive and offend some people.

At Eastlake High School in Sammamish, student leadership promoted a Patriot’s Day theme at a football game at Memorial Stadium against Rainier Beach. The game was previously canceled, then rescheduled to the day before the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Students wanted to do something to remember the tragic events. But staff intervened.

According to an email obtained by the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH, the principal said wearing those colors could “unintentionally cause offense to some who see it differently.” Students are upset. And some parents now speculate school officials thought their majority-minority opponents would be offended by American pride.