Students protest school ban on T-shirts with Confederate flag emblem

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 9/7/02 | DIANE STEPP

[stainlessbanner]

Amy Slauson, 15, a 9th-grader at Cherokee High School in Canton, wears a T-shirt bearing the Confederate flag. On Friday, about 150 students protested a ban on Dixie Outfitters shirts, and were told to change their shirts or hide the emblem.

Some 150 Cherokee High School students showed up Friday for class wearing T-shirts with the Confederate flag emblem, in protest of a school ban.

School officials told students to change their shirts or hide the emblem, saying the flag is offensive to some students.

Principal Bill Sebring announced Thursday that Dixie Outfitters T-shirts featuring southern heritage themes with the Confederate flag incorporated in the design would not be permitted on campus.

Several parents checked their students out of school Friday in protest, Sebring said.

The Canton school plans to send home a letter to students and parents on Monday saying the Confederate battle flag "represents racial prejudice and divisiveness" to some and has "substantial disruption at some of our local educational institutions."

In his letter, Sebring said the move was made "to preserve peace and tranquility among our students and to ensure teaching and learning can take place. . . ."

The Dixie Outfitters T-shirts were banned last year at Etowah and Woodstock high schools, also in Cherokee County.

[stainlessbanner]

The War on Southern Heritage Continues

If you want on/off the list, send FReepmail

[nonliberal]

But if kids wear a shirt that says "Kill Your Mom and Worship Satan," that is "free speech."

In Liberal America it is okay to offend those intolerant conservatives, but offend a leftist and you got yourself a problem.

[quebecois]

Its a wonderful picture....I'm stunned to see that all of the inmates of our public schools haven't been completely brainwashed. Looks like the NEA missed one.

[Arkinsaw]

There is only one way to stop this, make the school board members pay with their jobs and elect school board members that understand free speech. Attend every school board meeting with a big Confederate flag shirt on and sit right up front. They CANNOT make YOU take it off even if they can run roughshod over your kids. School boards also don't like media exposure almost as much as they don't like free speech. Prior to election ask every potential board member about their stand on this issue to let them know someone cares.

[ladylib]

The Canton school plans to send home a letter to students and parents on Monday saying the Confederate battle flag "represents racial prejudice and divisiveness" to some and has "substantial disruption at some of our local educational institutions." He can absolutely prove that it "has substantial disruption at some of our local educational institutions." Bet he can't prove it. Why say "local educational institutions" when you can say public schools instead? Oh, I'm sorry -- Local indoctrination centers instead.

[SouthernFreebird]

In his letter, Sebring said the move was made "to preserve peace and tranquility among our students and to ensure teaching and learning can take place. . . ."

Bwahahahahahahah.......rrrrright.

This crap is making me racist, I'm tired of the double standards and the blacks who stand around and do or say nothing against this discrimination, while expecting whites to stand up for them when faced with it. If you can't be bothered to stand up for me then to h*ll with you when your turn comes.

[stainlessbanner]

You know what to do.

Cherokee HS Administration
930 Marietta Highway
Canton, GA 30114
770-479-4112

William J. Sebring	- Principal
Pam Andes	- Assistant Principal
Mike Baker	- Assistant Principal / Athletic Director
Pat Davis	- Assistant Principal / Career Technology Director
Homer Key -	Assistant Principal
Barry Hopkins -	Registrar

[stainlessbanner]

These people might be interested in what you think....

	The Cherokee County Board of Education meets the first and third Thursday of each month at: Canton Elementary School 712 Marietta Highway Canton, GA 30114
	The first meeting of the month begins at 7:00 p.m. and includes a 30 minute public participation segment.
	The second meeting of each month, the Superintendent and School Board will hold a retreat at 6:00 p.m. The regular meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Standing, left to right: Fred Larsen; Dr. Frank R. Petruzielo, Superintendent of Schools; Dr. Mike Christopher; Bob Rogers; and Dr. Gary Puckett. Seated, left to right: Becky Babcock; Janet Flint; and Kelly Campbell.
	Mike Christopher Post 1 200 Lewis Court Canton, GA 30114 Voice: 770-704-5669 mecvm@mindspring.com		Mike Chapman Post 2 6063 Governor's Walk Drive Canton, GA 30114 (770) 704-4398, ext. 4372# mikechapman42@yahoo.com
	Gary Puckett Post 3 54 Farmington Drive Woodstock, GA 30188 Home: 770-928-3315		Kelly Campbell Post 4 702 Willowbrook Lane Woodstock, GA 30189 Voice: 770-549-7082 kelly@danandkelly.net
	Fred Larsen Post 5 310 Winding Woods Trail Woodstock, GA 30189 Home: 770-517-0198		Bob Rogers Post 6 921 Greybrooke Drive Woodstock, GA 30188 Home: 770-926-2322
	Janet Flint Post 7 P.O. Box 480 Waleska, GA 30183 Home: 770-720-7730 Fax: 770-720-7730 jflintboe@yahoo.com

[stainlessbanner]

The fact that 150 students were involved is pretty big, IMO. Many times it's just a few detractors - sounds like the school leadership may have gone too far.

[zeromus]

huh. i thought we were supposed to be teaching the kids tolerance, and here i see that they are being taught coercive conformity.

[zeromus]

Also, the notion that these t-shirts can cause a disruption is absolutely bogus. If the teacher is speaking, the students are listening, or else there are bigger problems to tackle.

Kids in school are smart, if they think they have a [false] excuse for a disruption, they'll milk it. Coddling them is just letting them get away with a crime.

"And so you see, if we can add 2 to this side of the equation to get rid of the -2... but we have to be sure, to keep the equation valid, to add--"
"MRS SMITH! IM SORRY I CANT JUST CONCENTRATE WHEN THAT KID IN THE CORNER IS WEARING A SHIRT WITH A RACIALLY INSULTING ICON"

yeah right.

[PAR35]

I'm not comfortable with the idea of posting home addresses of folks, even if they are carpetbaggers or scalawags.

[stainlessbanner]

Normally, I would not be either. I do respect privacy - I'm sure some of the board members are outstanding citizens.

However, these addresses are posted on the Cherokee County School District Website, under the Meet the Board of Education link. Since they are posted in a public website, I will assume this is the preferred way to contact these people. I honestly did not even realize the addresses are not in the same building.

Check out the link and let me know what you think. We can ask the AM to strike it and/or leave only emails, but this information is posted on THEIR site.

[Vigilantcitizen]

"I'm not comfortable with the idea of posting home addresses of folks, even if they are carpetbaggers or scalawags."

It's public record.

[shiva]

I'm not comfortable with the idea of posting home addresses of folks

Easy to remedy...don't look

[LiteKeeper]

Could someone please enlighten me? Where does the "right" to not be offended come from? And, when did we abandon the freedom of speech to the hyper-sensitive few who don't like what we say?

Me thinks we have it backwards

[mysonsfuture]

Someone needs to get a hold of Neil Boortz about this!!! He's from Atlanta and would jump on the story. Also, we need to keep bumping this thread up on a continuing basis so the lurkers from other conservative media outlets looking for real news will pick it up help send it national.

[PAR35]

My apologies to you. Apparently they DO want to be contacted at home.

Next time, I should check the link before I hit post. When I saw your original post, I thought of the controversy surrounding the posting of personal info on the Chuy's waitress who served the Bush daughters and then called the cops.

[wardaddy]

Where do these obtuse crackers come from?