A teacher in eastern Illinois has been fired for stepping on a small U.S. flag during a lesson on free speech.
The Martinsville School District board voted 6-0 to fire English teacher Jordan Parmenter. Martinsville is about 80 miles southeast of Champaign near the Indiana state line.
The district had placed Parmenter on leave after the May 15 incident.
Parmenter has said he used the flag as a pointer during a lesson on free speech at Martinsville Junior-Senior High School.
A student complained that the teacher was being disrespectful, and Parmenter said he then stepped on the flag as an example of free speech.
Parmenter declined to comment about being fired. He said he plans to speak to his union representative.