Posted on 12/10/2003 1:44:31 PM PST by stainlessbanner
The rebel flag is no longer appropriate attire for students at Sullivan East High School. The same rule means the banner can't be flown from the backs of pickup trucks, waved at sporting events or displayed on school property.
Mary Rouse, principal of the rural school east of Bristol Tennessee, recently banned the "Stars and Bars" from campus. She wouldn't talk about her decision, but her boss has said it came after some students complained they felt harassed or intimidated by displays of the racially-charged symbol.
"Principals can say they don't want rebel flags at their school," County Schools Director John O'Dell explained.
The reason is simple, according to O'Dell. School principals have a right to outlaw any symbols, clothing or displays that disrupt the learning environment or may be used to intimidate others.
The Confederate flag is one such symbol. At the very least, it's divisive and to some, it symbolizes hatred and slavery.
The flag's supporters, including many in this region whose ancestors fought on behalf of Dixie, are quick to argue that the Civil War had more to do with state's rights than with slavery. They see the banner as a point of pride.
But not everyone shares that interpretation. In recent years, the Confederate flag has come to be associated with white supremacist groups and others who clearly mean it as a symbol of intimidation.
It's true the 1st Amendment gives Americans a right to display the controversial flag in many settings. If anyone wants to paint it on the top of his mobile home, he can do so. If the local chapter of the Sons or Daughters of the Confederacy wants to decorate Civil War soldiers' graves with the flag, that's OK too.
But that freedom doesn't make it acceptable to wear the flag or display it in our schools. All students -- no matter their race -- have a right to study biology, English and algebra in an environment free from intimidation or distraction. It's the reason that private schools, and some forward-thinking public schools, have adopted uniforms or strict dress codes.
At East High School, the flag has been a symptom of a much greater problem with racial tensions. In the most public and severe incident, a group of white students took part in a mock-lynching of a black student a few years back. The ensuing federal lawsuit was only recently settled and the school system was required to set up sensitivity training as a result.
The ban on the rebel flag at East High School needs to be permanent and it needs to be extended to all schools in the county, some of which still condone display of the banner. For that matter, all schools in our region would do well to consider a similar policy change.
It's time to move beyond a war that was fought more than a century ago. Instead of holding on to symbols that divide us, we ought to seek ones that unite us. Only by doing so, can we work together as a united community for a better future.
Clueless...
I said on another thread this morning that my patience has ended for the nonsense in public education. I think that states should close all public schools, dole-out $2000 per child to their parents for the children's education, and then the states should plow the rest of the money spent on schools into upgrading roads. If schools actually taught kids how to write and do math, some of this nonsense could be tolerated, but schools are even educating kids anymore, so disband them all.
As a proud Richland Rebel alumnus, I respectfully disagree with that statement.
I wonder if the ban on racially insenstitive or divisive apparel also includes FUBU.
Oh, really? Well how about saying they don't want Teeshirts with a picture of Malcolm X on campus. Or any reference to "Kwanzaa", or the Mexican flag?
Yes, suppose a principal says: No more Mexican flags and no more pictures of Malcolm X. That would be just fine, right Mr. O'Dell?
Racist idiot. Save us from stereotypes. A few years back we passed a multi-million dollar house on Orange Beach flying the Batle flag.
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