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.
They're not educating, they're indoctrinating. And, in Tennessee, no less.
I'm not an apologists for the Confederate battle flag, but this school ruling is absurd.
The Confederate Battle Ensign isn’t the only symbol that “disrupt the learning environment or may be used to intimidate others.” The US Flag, shirts displaying some rap artists – heck, a shirt that displays anything can “disrupt the learning environment”. Even pictures of cartoon characters fall in this group. Any thing using the red, black and green color combination can be intimidating. A student wearing boots can be intimidating.
The indoctrination of PC ideology its self disrupts the learning environment.
It will when education is once again about educating the student and not filling them with propaganda. Gee, the left is so pathetic.
What is the PC crowd's beef? That people have different opinions from those of the PC crowd, or that people have opinions at all?
I'd pay to watch that.
You're exactly right. But I wouldn't hold my breath. Personally, I have no love for the confederate flag. My family is from Pa. and I have ancestors who fought in the civil war on the northern side. HOWEVER, when I was a girl we did live in Virginia for two years, and I know very well that to those who honored the confederate flag, it WAS NOT about "proving" or "saying" that one race was better than another...the feeling that I got that it was merely a symbol of regional pride. It's "a southern thing."
Yeah, some yahoos in white sheets wave around the confederate flag. But they also burn crosses too. Are we now going to say that the cross is ALSO a symbol of "hate" just because some people use it inappropriately?
If they ban the confederate flag, then they sure as hell should ban Malcolm X t-shirts AND a bunch of "La Raza" [whom I find far more obnoxious] jammin' their Mexican flag in people's face on campus. This ain't Mexico. Yet.
So was the US flag of 1860. So what. The British flag is also a flag of a former slave nation. I've seen it in a number of places in this country, and it is frequently on apparel.
Then parents should tell the school board they don't want that principal.
Come on, ban our country's flags of history and burn the current one? Maybe I'll burn a Russian one at my next FReep. Or a Palestinian one.
31st Goal Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of "the big picture."
16th Goal Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17th Goal Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
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