CHAPIN, SC — Chapin High teacher Scott Compton’s appeal of his dismissal after he stomped on an American flag during a class lesson last fall is on hold.

A closed-door hearing planned for Tuesday on the matter has been delayed, Lexington-Richland 5 spokesman Mark Bounds said Thursday.

The delay was agreed to by attorneys for both the district and Compton, as they prepare to make their cases before the school board, he said.

A new date has not been chosen.

Compton’s actions set off a furor in the community in northern Lexington County.

Some educators and military veterans are split on Compton’s dismissal.

Superintendent Stephen Hefner fired him, saying the flag-stomping was the latest incident in what Hefner alleges is a “pattern of poor judgment.”

Lexington-Richland 5 has no standard for treatment of the flag, but school officials say Compton violated conduct expected of teachers.

Compton, in statements through his lawyer, said the action was not intended to be disrespectful but an effort to promote discussion on how the nation is much more than its symbols.

He has been suspended with pay since mid-December, pending the outcome of his appeal.