The confederate flag has been banned from a school district in Texas.
The school board members in Hays County voted 5-2 today to ban the confederate flag from school grounds. According to ABC News , the bars and stars will no longer be allowed on district property or district-sponsored events.
The Hays school district is currently comprised of 68% minority students.
According to UPI , Hays High School in San Marcos, Texas, used the confederate flag on team uniforms up until 2000. The flag was removed from uniforms but students were still allowed to display the flag at sporting events. In addition to banning the confederate flag, the school board has also decided to ban any imagery that is deemed “racially hostile, offensive or intolerant.”
Outgoing Superintendent Jeremy Lyon called for the ban after two students vandalized a black teacher’s classroom earlier this year. The student’s wrote racial slurs in the classroom and urinated on the door.
Lyon said:
“I have the utmost respect for history, but we need to make sure that we are creating school districts that are welcoming and inviting to all students.”
The school board voted earlier this year to keep Dixie as the school fight song. Dixie, like the confederate flag, represents southern tradition but also recalls painful memories of slavery.
Country singer Trace Adkins recently stirred up a controversy over the confederate flag .
At the time, Adkins said:
“As a proud American I object to oppression of any kind. To me, the battle flag represents remembrance of my Southern lineage – I am a descendant of Confederate soldiers who followed that flag into battle. I advocate for the preservation of America’s battlefields and honest conversation about our Country’s history. To those who view the flag as a symbol of racism, that was not my message and I did not intend offense.”
Do you think the school made the right decision to ban the confederate flag? Do you think other schools will do the same?
