Lakeville South High bans Confederate flag after student argument (MN)

[struggle4progress]

By Erin Adler Star Tribune OCTOBER 2, 2015 — 9:00PM

Lakeville South High School administrators have banned the Confederate flag from campus for the remainder of the school year after students argued over the symbol in the parking lot.

Five students wore T-shirts and accessories depicting the Confederate flag and one displayed the flag on his truck on Sept. 24 for “red, white and blue” day during homecoming week, said Tony Massaros, the school district’s executive director of administrative services.

Complaints from staff and other students increased throughout the day and eventually a student ripped the flag from the truck and tore it to pieces, Massaros said. Twenty-four students were then involved in a “verbal altercation” in the school parking lot, he said.

The school resource officer and staff broke up the argument, and campus administrators decided to ban the Confederate flag for the 2015-16 academic year. No students were disciplined in connection with the incident ...

http://www.startribune.com/lakeville-south-high-bans-confederate-flag-after-student-argument/330487301/

[PADemD]

1. Missed opportunity

The school administrators should have required each of the students waving the confederate flag to do a report on the participation of Minnesota citizens in the Civil War, in particular the Battle of Gettysburg.