Williamson County School Administrator Declares Limits To First Amendment For Students

By Kleinheider Posted on April 29, 2008 at 7:29 am

April is Confederate Heritage History Month but here in the Greater Nashville area, the cradle of Southern agrarian thought, an educational institution in the lily white county of Williamson has banned the display of the Confederate flag after a student decorated his truck with the banner — along with a noose.

The student, who WSMV reports displays confederate regalia on his MySpace page and admits to extreme racism, has not been suspended and continues to attend classes.

School administrators on Monday posted a message on the school website arguing that the First Amendment protections of free speech and expression can be limited for students on school grounds:

As I told our student body on Friday, the display or wearing of the Confederate flag and/or racially offensive symbols which incite school disruption on campus is currently prohibited. While such symbols are generally protected by the First Amendment, that protection is limited in a school setting when events occur such as we have recently experienced. The faculty and administration of IHS intend to work with our students and our community to identify and address any racial issues that may impact our school. We ask that you work with us to remind your children that we have the same behavior expectations of our students that we have had since this school opened, and I invite you to give me a call if you have any questions or concerns.

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Tags: Confederate flag, First Amendment, Independence High School, Nashville, noose, Thompson Station, Williamson County