SALIDA - The school says a janitor mistakenly upended Old Glory and wasn't out to make a political statement.

SALIDA - The school says a janitor mistakenly upended Old Glory and wasn't out to make a political statement.

The American flag flew upside-down, the international signal for dire distress, outside Longfellow Elementary School in Salida Tuesday morning.

Char Pasquale was dropping off her children at school around 7:45 a.m. when she saw the flag.

"I could not believe it," Pasquale said. "It was really alarming."

Pasquale's children went inside the school and alerted principal Dan Estell who came outside, looked at the flag and "shook his head in disgust," according to Pasquale.

"As soon as we saw it, we fixed it," Estell said. "It was an accident."

Estell said he understands why people would be upset.

"Of course I understand," he said. "It's the day after the election."

Estell said no political statement was intended by the school janitor, who raised the flag at 4:30 a.m. and took it down when parents noticed.

"There was nothing intentional or malicious about it," Estell said.

Pasquale is not entirely convinced that she didn't witness a silent protest against the election's results. She pointed to the second flag flying on the same flagpole.

"I know it couldn't have been an accident," Pasquale said. "Because the Colorado flag wasn't upside-down." 

It should be noted that the Colorado State flag looks the same whether flying right-side-up or upside-down.

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