15 students suspended over Confederate flag T-shirts

al.com ^ | 10/16/01 | ap

[shuckmaster]

MOULTON, Ala. (AP) -- Fifteen students at Lawrence County High School got suspended for wearing Confederate flag T-shirts to school Monday.

Principal Ricky Nichols said he suspended the students for three days each because they defied a ban he placed on rebel flag clothing on Friday.

"School is not an open forum," the principal said. "It is a place for learning."

Seven of the students and two parents protested later Monday at the Lawrence County Board of Education's parking lot.

The suspended students all wore T-shirts by Dixie Outfitters. The shirts have emblems on the front and back that contain the Confederate battle flag. The students said the shirts aren't meant as a racial statement.

"In Lawrence County, it's almost like a fashion statement, the same way people wear Tommy Hilfiger," senior Casey Hughes said.

Some students said they wear the shirts as an expression of Southern heritage, but the principal said none of the students could tell him if their great-grandfathers fought in the Civil War.

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

"...Tinker has never been directly overruled..."

You are correct!!

The Tinker case stated, if memory serves, that "Students do NOT shed their RightS at the Schoolhouse Gate."

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

So, do you agree or disagree with the article you linked to?

[concerned about politics]

It would be great to get this schools e-mail adress.
I like this. The students are starting to stand up to the socialists ideals.
This is a great sign of the times!!!

[womanvet]

I doubt any of their great-grandfathers fought in the civil war. I'm 21 now, and all my great-grandparents were born between 1899 and 1912. Great-great-great-grandfather may be more appropriate for this age group.

guess it depends upon genetics. My 13-yod's great-grandfather fought for the CSA

[Arkinsaw]

"Neo-Confederate" is a conspiracy theory developed by a gay activist in Dallas, TX who had a black lover and devoted his life to fighting oppression of his partner. This person also promulgated the urban legend of Tommy Hilfiger hiding Confederate racist symbols in his clothes designs and accused Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter of being "Neo-Confederates". This person was used as an expert "resource" for journalists and researchers doing stories on "Neo-Confederates". Its worked out nicely since someone with the name of "the-rightside" buys into it on FreeRepublic. Oh well.

I've been classified as one of these "Neo-Confederates", by one of the originators of the term no less. I am neither racist nor separatist. I love the South and Southerners, all colors. I cannot imagine a South without black culture, French culture, Spanish culture, Mexican culture (in other words, Minnesota). When I eat okra I know where it came from. I also love the Constitution of the United States and believe in the benefits of continental union as laid out in the Federalist Papers.

So there's my story. You can believe it, or you can believe that I'm part of the "Neo-Confederate" conspiracy theory. But at least you know where that theory springs from either way.

[VMI70]

Maybe he used an elephant gun for a gnat, but it WAS a bull's-eye.

FReegards,

[ppaul]

I suspect that if the students were wearing "GAY PRIDE" flag t-shirts, they would've been sent home too.

[RightOnline]

Quick, tell me............if they had been black, wearing pictures of Malcolm X on t-shirts......OR, that ridiculous red, black and green "African" flag on their shirts......would they have been suspended??

Any takers on this one? Hello???????

My oh my, how Alabama has swung TOO far the other way................

[ppaul]

Interesting article (post #30). Thanks.

[ppaul]

Aw Shucks!
Although I criticized what appeared to be your selective censorship of the headline, I'm nevertheless glad you posted the article.
Thanks.

[Yellow Rose of Texas]

My Great, Great Grandfather fought under General Forrest for Jefferson Davis. My Grandfather was named Forrest after the General. I had family that fought on both sides. The war was not about JUST slavery as most of the Confederate Soldiers did not own slaves. It was about States rights vs Federal Government. We are fighting the same battle today: Big Government vs a smaller non intrusive Government.

[BenR2]

"School is not an open forum," the principal said. "It is a place for learning."

. . . And POLITICALLY CORRECT learning, at that! (We only teach the approved tradition: Namely, that the Sainted North was right and the Wicked South was wrong.)

[eloy]

"benefit of a public education"

Oxymoron

[darbymcgill]

does this mean that all those who claim to be offended by the confederate flag must prove their ancestors were slaves????????

[general_re]

That is indeed what Tinker says. But, since then, the rights have been qualified somewhat - students' rights are far from absolute, and one interpretation of the Hazelwood decision is that the Court decided that maybe Tinker had gone a bit too far. So, they took the opportunity and scaled it back a bit, ostensibly in order to preserve educational officials' ability to promote an environment facilitating education, and allowing them to pursue education of all students as their primary mission. And thus, as a result, where free speech interfered with that educational mission, it might have to give way a little bit.

The end result is that, between Bethel and Hazelwood, Tinker is still alive, but it's had its wings clipped a little bit ;)

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

"Wings Clipped"

That case, 'Tinker', provided a good bit of the Fire that burned in this family. The Loco -err- Local School board decided that they wanted some of the "Kings" Nickles. They, very back-handedly, instituted a "Uniform Dress Code" in the local 'Public' School System that our two oldest children attended.
My, Lawyer-should-have-been, Wife (The Kentucky Woman) hit on the idea of an iron-on logo that matched the "Legal" version in their Orders -er- Student Manual.

One of these iron-ons stated "The School Board Voted and All I Got Was This Lousy Uniform". It had the desired effect. Both of our children received enough days of In School Suspension to earn them a couple of days at home, with an Out of School suspension.

What put the School Board's collective 'Rump' in a sling, was one of the Assistant Principal's answer to my Wife's questions. She asked them if they knew what they were doing was in direct violation of the 1st Amendment?

This Assistant's answer????
"Ma'am, I don't care what the Constitution says, this is against School Board Policy"

Well....after about 18 months, and several thousand of their own dollars, in Federal Court, they saw the error(s) of their ways.

=========
One more thing....that school system no longer gets a penny for the attendance of either one of our children. They have since been Home Schooled.

[supercat]

Does it matter if it was a shirt with a Confederate flag on it or a US flag, or the Pledge of Allegiance, or God Bless America? The constitutional principles are the same and the school administrators banning them are the same.

Well, according to the Flag Code, the flag is not supposed to be used as, or as part of, an article of clothing (with the exception of flag patches on certain types of uniforms). So if they'd worn flag shirts whose stars and stripes were in any configuration that's ever been recognized as valid the administrators could have used the Flag Code as an excuse for suspending them.

[supercat]

does this mean that all those who claim to be offended by the confederate flag must prove their ancestors were slaves????????

Also, what of states in the North that used to allow slavery?

[Storm Orphan]

It is the existance of the government schools that is troublesome.

Bulls-eye.