Virginia high school students suspended for wearing Confederate Flag

The Christiansburg students wore the clothing to school and refused to abide by the rules, according to the AP, drawing one-day in-school suspensions.

About 20 high school students were suspended Thursday after wearing clothing with the Confederate flag on it, reported WSLS10. “Continued racial friction suggests that lifting the ban of this particular symbol would cause significant disruption at the school”. The other three high schools in the district have no such policy, the Messenger says.

“We value our students’ First Amendment rights, but we must maintain an orderly and safe environment for all students”, said Brenda Drake, public information officer.

Confederate flags attached to decals attached to student vehicles in any form are not allowed.

WSLS-TV in Roanoke quoted a Montgomery County school spokeswoman as saying the Confederate flag was deemed offensive by school officials and that the suspensions were ordered as a result.

“Confederate symbols are, simply put, offensive to African-Americans”, the judge, Martin Clark, said in a statement about the portrait.

State data show the school has about 1,100 students. The Post also reports that about about 83 percent of the students are white, and approximately 8 percent of the students that attend the school are black.

Do you think the Christiansburg High School students should have been suspended for wearing Confederate Flag shirts to school?