We disagree. Schools should be able to control behavior, including attire, in the classroom that disrupts instruction, but not the content of a political message outside the building. As for causing violence, the Confederate Battle Flag does not cause violence. Raising thugs to believe that thinking you are being disrespected justifies shooting someone causes violence. I would never fly that flag, but the boy was within his rights and should have been permitted to keep the flag. If its presence "causes" violence, that's what we have police and courts for, and those who react violently can learn to control themselves or spend their lives in prison. I'm tired of Americans being ordered to back down simply because some group of thugs is offended or might get violent. We should never, ever back down to union thugs, Islamic thugs, racist thugs, or any other thugs. They can deal with their hurt feelings or they can deal with the law (and off school property with armed citizens).
The purpose of public school is to teach, not fight people’s brawls for them, or permit a student to agitate other students.
From the point of view of the law, students, who to a great extent are their parent’s legal chattels, should be stripped of their civil rights on school grounds, by schools acting ‘In Loco Parentis’, in place of parents.
This means no freedom of speech, no right to bear arms, no limits to search and seizure, no right to sponsored religious expression or favoritism, etc. All of which can be parceled out by the school, or not, *solely* at their discretion, and the laws of that state.
Students can be required to wear uniforms, which by implication infers that they can be prohibited from wearing articles of clothing as well.
Admittedly this is an ideal. Some schools will be more generous, but others can be very limiting. But with this as ground rules, the federal courts should stay out of it.
Bottom line: students can express themselves freely off campus as much as their parents will permit, but on campus, they do as they are told.
If there was a racially baited dust up on school property, guess who would get blamed for it. In a way it’s no-win. Out of consideration, our redneck pal really ought to have stowed the Dixie flag (especially if it was a humongous one like shown in the Channel 9 photo) before leaving the truck in the lot. But upon return, put it back on and hit that Dixie horn upon exit to the public street.