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Posted on 01/15/2009 11:05:27 AM PST by matt1234
MARYSVILLE, Wash. - At least three students were suspended from Marysville-Pilchuck High School after displaying the Confederate flag.
Ray Hauser, spokesperson for the school district, said one incident occurred in October, and another just last week.
The students say the flag is a symbol of culture and heritage, but the school district says it's also a symbol of hatred.
Hauser said the students are aware of school policy, and when the administration learned of the displays, the students were called in for a discussion and suspensions occurred immediately.
Eighteen-year-old Ethian Allen is a senior at the school. Over the past few months, he and his friends have been flying the Confederate flag on their cars. To them it's not a symbol of racism -- but of heritage and the "redneck culture," which they embrace.
"I think as a right of free speech we should have whatever flag we want," he said. "Nobody has come up to us and said it offends them in any way, besides the administration."
After they brought it on school grounds, a few of them got 10-day suspensions.
"There are two different sides to the Confederate flag, one of heritage the other a connection to a symbol of hatred," said Hauser.
The district says its policy on the flag stems from a series of incidents back in 2004. A cross burning at the home of a local African American pastor sparked a series of confrontations at the high school involving the Confederate flag. So the so-called Southern Cross was banned. It's even written in the school handbook.
"While we want to recognize a student's right to free speech, we certainly have the first duty to make sure all our students are safe," Hauser said.
The students say no one has complained to them and they feel the school policy is not enforced fairly.
It may be a right of free speech, but the district cites case law which allows them to ban symbols from school grounds if they interfere with safety and the learning process. They say the Confederate flag is a prime example.
“...or a Bible on their persons.”
I seriously doubt Washington has outlawed Bibles at school.
Kudos to you.
Thanks
It doesn’t really matter what you, or I, say the flag symbolizes because clearly it symbolizes different things to different people.
Mouthpiece Hauser blew it when he tried to interpret the meaning of the flag. He just should have cited past experience at the school and the “case law which allows them to ban symbols from school grounds if they interfere with safety and the learning process.”
Ethan Allen was a mountain man.
But "Ethian"?
As long as all symbols are banned, I see nothing wrong with banning the rebel flag in this school. Kids aren’t in school to exercise free speech, they are there to get an education.
Probably thinking Washington DC.
My husband was in the Navy, so we fly that flag with our Stars and Stripes.
Well then, ban the American flag, Uncle Sam and every other symbol around.
You won’t have enough left to teach history or other subjects. The point is that this is all HISTORY. It is past, it happened.
Understand history with all of the warts as well as the diamonds and you can learn what works and is right and what is not. Raise your children not to know or understand the bad parts of history or how they affected mankind and you will see the bad history repeated.
Dred Scott v. Sandford, SCOTUS, 1857 opened the territories to slavery. More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dred_Scott_v._Sandford
Just wow!
The Stars and Stripes is the flag of the whole nation, not a flag of a subdivision such as the rebel flag which only appeals to fans of the CSA. The national banner should not be compared to a divisive symbol.
Post 9/11, there were groups that declared the flying of the America flag to be “divisive”.
There are news articles if you care to look.
NAh, Snopes says that was an urban legend. :P
They were likely flying it in response to hate.
Uh, didn’t Ethan Allen sign the Declaration of Independence before he opened a successful line of furniture stores?
This is actually the kind of case the ACLU is likely to take up if asked.
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