Local schools change policies to ban Confederate symbols

Orange County Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools have adjusted policies on the Confederate flag and other threatening symbols just weeks before the first day of classes.

Orange County Schools banned white nationalist symbols from their dress code on Monday, while Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools banned them entirely from their campuses on Thursday. The decision was made after the recent violence in Charlottesville and widespread vigils held in the Chapel Hill area for the protests. 

The discussion over whether to ban Confederate flags and associated clothing is not new to Chapel Hill or Orange County. Orange County Superintendent Todd Wirt said he and the board have taken the debate seriously since it was first introduced by community members. 

“The issue and the challenge that was placed before our school system has on the surface been about the Confederate Flag, but on a much deeper level is about working to better understand each other and ensuring that our schools have a learning environment that is accepting of all groups represented in our beautifully diverse community,” Wirt said.  

Stephen Halkiotis, chairperson of the Orange County School Board, said they had four legal experts discuss the issue with the board and took public comments into consideration as well.

“We were concerned about first amendment issues, freedom of speech issues, and we have deliberately moved ahead for some people in a very slow manner but that's how government moves sometimes, and I don’t make any apologies for that,” Halkiotis said.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously in the decision and added language to their bullying policy to ban the flag and other symbols, according to a press release by chairperson James Barrett. The Orange County School system passed a new policy to ban the symbols from their dress code.  

Wirt said in a Facebook post that the Charlottesville violence and other politically charged events can have an effect on public schools and their learning environments.

“The effects of that environment often manifest themselves first in public schools, leaving our school administrators, teachers and support staff in a position to educate and counsel our children on topics like acceptance and understanding,” Wirt said.

The new Orange County Schools policy additionally bans clothing with symbols meant to intimidate students on the basis of race, national origin, gender and sexual orientation. 

Though controversial, feedback from the policy changes in both school systems has been positive overall. Barrett said although there is controversy around first amendment rights, he thought the policy was on “solid footing” and that the community was united and supportive of the decision. 

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools superintendent received multiple calls from districts around North Carolina about their new policy changes and the exact language of the policy, Barrett said. Durham Public Schools might adopt new dress code policies to ban the Confederate flag and other symbols.  

“I don't think this is a huge change,” Barrett said. “It clarifies that it gives the principal the ability to proactively talk about what's acceptable and what's not acceptable speech at our school.” 

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