Carrillo walkout over rebel flags possible today; 300 students, 20 teachers sign petition calling for ban of Confederate banner on campus
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A long-simmering issue over personal displays of the http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=94 has escalated into a petition drive and some calls for a brief protest walkout today.
Some students want the school administration to ban the Confederate battle flag outright, even if its presence is mainly limited at this point to small decals, belt buckles or cell phone screens kept by a small number of students.
“It’s not against the law to swear, to curse, but it’s against school rules,” said senior Ashley Bernon, who favors a ban.
Senior Megan Allen said she’s gotten about 300 of the school’s roughly 1,500 students and about 20 teachers to sign her petition calling for school officials to ban the flag on campus, saying tolerance for what many consider a symbol of slavery and oppression is a disgrace.”The Confederate flag, as well as other symbols such as the Nazi http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2457, could be considered pride . . . but their underlying theme is hate,” the petition states. “Those who display them, know it . . . and those who see them, feel it.”
School officials say the flag’s presence — as long as it doesn’t cause a major disruption to school operations or incite a clear risk of unlawful acts — is protected by the First Amendment, however unpopular it may be symbolically.
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