Virginia high school suspends 20 over Confederate logos

One of the students, senior Houston Miller, told the AP that he will wear clothing with the Confederate flag on Friday too.

More than 20 students at a Virginia high school were suspended Thursday after wearing clothes emblazoned with Confederate flags, according to multiple media reports.

This fall, the high school also prohibited vehicles displaying the Confederate flag from its parking lot, the Associated Press reported. The students disagreed with the demand to change to change their shirts and were reportedly given one day of in school suspension – ISS.

Exactly why the wearing of a historic symbol violates the school dress code remains largely unclear.

“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.

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. An offensive symbol is determined by an incident that disrupts the education of students during the school day.

The dress code at Christiansburg High School prohibits students from wearing articles that reflect adversely on people because of race, gender, or other factors, the Washington Post reports. The man charged in the slayings had been photographed holding the Confederate battle flag. White students make up about 83 percent of the student body; black students, 8 percent.