PADUCAH, Ky. – In America, we’re free to express ourselves in many different ways.

Some believe disrespectful treatment of the American flag should be on that list.

That’s a topic of debate that will probably rage on forever.

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What shouldn’t be debatable is whether we allow our public schools to encourage this type of behavior.

At Kentucky’s McCracken County High School, a teacher has apologized for setting up an art display involving a U.S. flag lying on the floor in front of a small writing table, according to a report from TheBlaze.com. Students were reportedly encouraged to step on the flag and write how the experience made them feel.

The display was apparently a re-creation of a 1989 art display titled “The Proper Way to Display an American Flag.”

As far as how students felt when they stepped on the flag, we’re guessing the standard response was probably “lousy” or “disrespectful.”   But they didn’t need to actually stand on the flag to understand that.

Most kids already know that millions of Americans have died or been severely injured in defense of that flag and the values it represents. So they should understand, without personal experience, that any act of disrespect toward the flag is sickening and morally wrong.

You don’t have to rob a bank and murder the employees to know that such an act is wrong.

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Of course schools should teach students about our constitutional right to express ourselves. They should also teach students that such freedoms are rare in the world, and they should be grateful to live in a nation that allows such liberty.

Putting a flag on the floor and encouraging people to stand on it is not a good way to communicate that lesson. We’re guessing it was some liberal teacher’s attempt to display his radical views while safely framing it as an educational experience.

The good news is that school administrators joined a group of local veterans in giving the flag a proper retirement ceremony, the news report said.

We hope the residents of this district made their feelings known about this moronic endeavor and the school board forbids it from happening again.