Independence High School bans Confederate flag
The principal of a Thompson Station high school has banned students from displaying the Confederate flag. The ban follows an incident on Friday where a student displayed the flag along with a noose. News 2 reported yesterday the student was disciplined. The following text is part of the message posted yesterday online by Independence High School Principal Marilyn Webb to students and parents.
This morning, a few students wore Confederate flags on their clothing in response to last week’s incident. As I told our student body on Friday, the display or wearing of the Confederate flag and/or racially offensive symbols which incite school disruption on campus is currently prohibited. While such symbols are generally protected by the First Amendment, that protection is limited in a school setting when events occur such as we have recently experienced. The faculty and administration of IHS intend to work with our students and our community to identify and address any racial issues that may impact our school. We ask that you work with us to remind your children that we have the same behavior expectations of our students that we have had since this school opened, and I invite you to give me a call if you have any questions or concerns.
High School principals have one of the toughest jobs in our communities, sometimes being reduced to underpaid baby sitters to years of bad parenting. But denying students fundamental rights protected by the United States Constitution is illegal and the wrong way to address truly disruptive children in our public schools.
Some symbols and speech are offensive. It must enrage students who believe Jesus was the son of God to see another student wear a symbol on a t-shirt for a religion whose doctrine says otherwise. That doesn't justify the Christian student disrupting class with a form of speech or behavior that goes beyond displaying a symbol on a t-shirt.
Free speech is a fundamental right of every American that no government official, including a public school administrator, has the right to abridge. Public school administrators have every right to discipline students who are disruptive. When a public school administrator claims free speech itself is a disruptive act and bans students from exercising the protected right, that public school administrator has crossed a line.
More from local blogs:
