Burleson HS students file federal lawsuit over Confederate flag purses

by PegNews wire

Two students say their constitutional rights were violated in January 2006.

Two students say their constitutional rights were violated in January 2006, when Burleson High School told them they couldn't bring their purses, adorned in a Confederate flag motif, to school.

From the Southern Legal Resource Center, which is handling the students' case:

The plaintiffs, two female students at Burleson High School , received purses bearing Confederate flag images as Christmas presents and brought them to school in January, 2006. The suit alleges that school officials attempted to confiscate the purses and sent the girls home when they declined to hand the purses over. Both girls had previously worn Confederate-themed items to school without incident.

The girls' parents went through a lengthy appeals process, attempting to have the school board lift the ban and remove the disciplinary action from the girls' records. The school board rejected all appeals on grounds that the Confederate symbol was “racist” and “disruptive” and therefore in violation of the school district's student dress code.

The suit alleges that the school board is selective in its application of the dress code, singling out the Confederate flag for exclusion while permitting students to wear other controversial symbols including the swastika. The complaint, which asks for a jury trial, claims violation of the students' rights to free speech, due process of law and equal protection under law.

Posted by Blair