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In a letter sent to parents this week, Ithaca High School administrators have banned the display of Confederate flag insignias on any clothing, bags or other items students previously brought to school.
"We have found that the display of the flag in such forms has caused and continues to cause feelings of ill will," reads the letter, dated April 3 and signed by Principal Joseph Wilson. "Such feelings in turn have led to disruptions to our operations and educational process."
Starting Monday, students who refuse to remove or cover up images of the flag will be disciplined, probably for insubordination, according to Superintendent Judith Pastel.
Nationally, the racially-charged symbol has caused controversy as a relic of the Civil War -- and, by extension, slavery and segregation, some argue. Others contend that it is a symbol of Southern heritage or rural pride in general. Either way, many other American public schools have already considered or enacted their own bans.
At Ithaca High School, the "historical significance" of the symbol, which appeared most often on belt buckles or T-shirts, offended some students and led to verbal and physical altercations, Pastel said.
"Some of them are wearing them to aggravate other students," Pastel said. "Some are wearing them because they watched the Dukes of Hazzard at the cineplex."
Previously, because of fights on campus, the high school banned bandanas or other items of clothing that signify allegiance to certain gangs. Now, altercations are breaking out between students prohibited from wearing gang apparel and those showing up with Confederate symbols, Pastel said.
This sort of conflict isn't new to Ithaca High School, where students from widely divergent backgrounds -- based on class, race and other factors -- converge. This year, students and community members have talked publicly about tensions in the building.
Legal precedent leaves schools a narrow window for banning items of clothing: evidence of disruption must exist. In the absence of disruption, courts have ruled that schools have violated students' First Amendment rights for prohibiting certain items.
Pastel said the decision at the high school came only after extensive observation, conversations with students and careful consideration.
"It's at the point," she said, "where we need to shift the focus for kids back on learning."
"We have found that the display of the flag in such forms has caused and continues to cause feelings of ill will," reads the letter, dated April 3 and signed by Principal Joseph Wilson. "Such feelings in turn have led to disruptions to our operations and educational process."
Starting Monday, students who refuse to remove or cover up images of the flag will be disciplined, probably for insubordination, according to Superintendent Judith Pastel.
Nationally, the racially-charged symbol has caused controversy as a relic of the Civil War -- and, by extension, slavery and segregation, some argue. Others contend that it is a symbol of Southern heritage or rural pride in general. Either way, many other American public schools have already considered or enacted their own bans.
At Ithaca High School, the "historical significance" of the symbol, which appeared most often on belt buckles or T-shirts, offended some students and led to verbal and physical altercations, Pastel said.
"Some of them are wearing them to aggravate other students," Pastel said. "Some are wearing them because they watched the Dukes of Hazzard at the cineplex."
Previously, because of fights on campus, the high school banned bandanas or other items of clothing that signify allegiance to certain gangs. Now, altercations are breaking out between students prohibited from wearing gang apparel and those showing up with Confederate symbols, Pastel said.
This sort of conflict isn't new to Ithaca High School, where students from widely divergent backgrounds -- based on class, race and other factors -- converge. This year, students and community members have talked publicly about tensions in the building.
Legal precedent leaves schools a narrow window for banning items of clothing: evidence of disruption must exist. In the absence of disruption, courts have ruled that schools have violated students' First Amendment rights for prohibiting certain items.
Pastel said the decision at the high school came only after extensive observation, conversations with students and careful consideration.
"It's at the point," she said, "where we need to shift the focus for kids back on learning."
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