Confederate Flag on Truck Leads to Scottville School Suspension

[XLFD]

A Mason County Central High School junior has reportedly been banned from school grounds for the rest of the school year for flying a confederate flag in the back of the truck he takes to school.  On Friday afternoon, shortly after MCC schools had let out for the three day Memorial Day weekend, Travis Barrette related the following on his Facebook page:

Being that you cannot generally get a school administrative officer to respond to anything on their off-time, we have yet to hear their rationale and will gladly report that when they do.  Until then, the Ludington Torch has contacted the eighteen year old 'rebel' to find out more of the story, which he was more than willing to share. 

According to young Mr. Barrette, he had previously been warned about flying the flag in the back of his truck about a month and a half ago, because someone allegedly was offended and felt threatened by the red, white and blue piece of cloth which served as the battle flag for part of the confederate army during the American Civil War. 

Travis related he had heeded the warning, yet still wanted to fly it as often as possible, so he would take the flag down immediately after arriving to school, and then reattach it right before he would drive off school grounds.  It seemed a reasonable compromise between the school's need to keep smooth operation of their educational processes and his rights of free speech intact.  He did that for what looks to be the last time this school year on Friday morning after arriving with a friend to school.

This day, MCC High School Principal Brad Jacobs (pictured left) decided that policy was not good enough, and told the surprised junior that he could go home as this wasn't acceptable.  He punctuated this by threatening to call the local police to help enforce it, telling the young man that his school year was over and that he was banned.  After school, Travis parked off campus in order to pick up his younger brother.  He was not driving his vehicle on the grounds, so he was on the belief that his informal suspension would allow him to do this family responsibility. 

Apparently it wasn't.  According to Barrette, as he approached the school a local Scottville Police Officer asked him his name, and after he complied, informed Barrette that he was trespassing and needed to leave.  He was further informed that no trespassing papers would be sent to him in the mail.  As you can tell from his social media posting, he was astonished about the events.  Travis did notify another local news agency about the incidents, in the two days since, they asked him what grade he was in. 

In Ludington, there was a bit of controversy inspired by the confederate flag and a local stores ability to display and sell them during last year's summer months. in Yankee Transplant Attacks Local Store Over Confederate Flag  we took issue with the ultra-progressive stance of the City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews) and their radical interpretations of the flag. 

Here we find that a school administrator is alleged to have acted strongly in enforcement of a policy that ultimately needs to strike a balance between each student's rights and the school's duty to maintain order and a non-threatening environment.  Barring any extenuating circumstances that have yet been brought to the public's attention, this appears to be a case where the school over-reacted in their discipline and their decisions. 

It should first be noted that it was noted earlier this week that state legislators have been drafting laws in order to reduce the number of expulsions and lengthy suspensions school administrators are giving to students.  The idea is to keep students in school unless they present an obvious security or safety problem. 

Travis Barrette has relayed that he has had no other problems in school before this, and was flexible enough to adjust his behavior willingly.  His social media postings have no indication that he has any of the usual designations ascribed by the left of someone who flies confederate flags (other than perhaps a commonsense Christian conservative bend). 

Confederate flags of various armies fly in this southern military cemetery.  Are they flags of hate and racism?  Happy Memorial Day to everyone.

Legally speaking, school districts have relied on a lawsuit from the 1960s, Tinker v. Des Moines, for the legal precedent to be able to forbid flying Confederate flags.  In that decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that students don't lose their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech when they are on school property, but that school officials must be able to show that the students' conduct would "materially and substantially interfere" with the operation of the school.

That has allowed some schools to present students that take offense to the flag to the court to prove their point sufficiently.  The non-diverse student body of MCC and the mitigating actions taken by Barrette (not displaying the flag when his truck is parked on school grounds) makes this a more difficult task for the MCC school district.  They must articulate to the public/court reasons to believe that these flags are going to lead to fights, walkouts, sit-ins, or other physical events that disrupt the educational process at MCC. 

Travis Barrette hopes to get public awareness for his cause.  He is underway to organize a peaceful protest on behalf of the right to fly his confederate flag as he was and against the banishment.  We will faithfully update this article with any additional information we can receive from either party along the way, which includes submissions of FOIA requests to a school district that has always been reluctant to follow the law in that regard. 

[Willy]

I'm not sure what to make of the conflicting stories. This is a minor incident that has grown larger than it deserves. Was this about the flag or about reckless driving? I suggest that Alway or his representative talk directly to all parties involved, then write a complete article about the incident.

[Brad]

I think a lil' about a flag, a lil' about reckless, a lil' about school, a lil' about a kid  (is that a start to a country song or what?)

And a LOT about very despicable reporting.  Very sad and nationally it's even worse, horrid.  The closest person I know to an investigative reporter is ..X .   (And X, I don't mean that as derogatorily, only as a compliment)

[XLFD]

Thanks Brad, next thing you will do is insult me by saying I'm a responsible journalist, LOL. 

A Torch-ite noticed my article posted on Tracy Jankowski Cooper's Facebook page with the following comment from Rob Alway (of the MCP) about my 'media' status. 

I'm above the fray enough to not feel slighted by his detraction, but it shows another version of the story during the evening of May 30.  His contact on that date had the superintendent claim only the vehicle was banned from MCC over the disruption caused by his flying the flag.  Compare that with the first article the MCP ran the next day (reprinted here, just in case Rob edited his writings later, as he is prone to do) and the later article that day (also reprinted here). 

The official story morphed significantly over those times, whereas Travis Barrette's has been consistent, and backed up by his own witnesses.  "The media" would tell you to believe the evolving story of the authorities, I would tell you to believe your own senses.

[XLFD]

The latest "media" to enter the Confederate Flag Boy (who is actually an 18 year old man) controversy is Mlive, with this story called:  "Student claims Confederate flag got him banned; school says he's a no show".  In it we find out that:

He (Superintendent Mount) added that the student Travis Barrette, hasn't been attending classes at the school since March, but comes to the grounds to pick up a family member.

"He was asked to take his flag down because it's disrespectful to his classmates," Mount said. "This is the sixth time he's been talked to over the course of three months. It's become an insubordination issue because of the disregard for school grounds."

He added that this has been an ongoing issue for years. 

Barrette posted this message on Facebook on Memorial Day, May 27. The federal holiday is meant to for remember the people who died while serving in the country's armed forces. [XLFD Note: May 30 was Memorial Day, and thousands of fallen Americans who died for the confederate armies have this flag on their gravesite.  In America we don't disrespect the losers]

Mount said Barrette has not been suspended or expelled from the school but simply chooses not to come to class, only attending classes at the Mason County Career Tech Center at West Shore Community College in the afternoons.

"We want him to come to school," Mount said.

Mount said that the Confederate flag is not permitted on school property because it represents racism and fear, among other things, to several of his classmates.

Many of these statements from Mount remain to be verified, the other party involved, Travis Barrette was not contacted for this article to correct inaccuracies.  You may find the link to an editorial concerning that the flag represents hate, not heritage right at the top of the article, and find the 'reporter' and his biased viewpoint interact in the comment section.  This Mlive piece is not an article on heritage, but on hate.

[Jasper]

Wow this story of "Confederate Flag Boy" gets more and more baffling. Now, the latest by the Super is "Flag Boy" has not attended classes since March. If that is the current version than the question remains why was "Confederate Flag Boy" kicked off campus?

This is beginning to sound more and more like a version of "Claire the Book Girl," being ran out of town.

[AQUAMAN]

It's sad to witness another Confederate Flag issue now, and see it's right next door too. I don't think authority figures assimilate to history, traditions, nor honor anymore. The ONLY things they do and think about is Obama Political Correctness, and leave it at that, period! I believe the turnabout on the story is a result of the Principal checking with the school's legal advisor. You can BET your bottom dollar he was told the school was in the wrong, and infringing on the pupil's constitutional rights, and to withdraw and back-off his original stance. If this kid hasn't been attending school for the last few months, how come he's not been assigned as a truant, and suspended? I don't think this Principal knows his job duties, and is another "politically yes baby", hired to be a subservient snob and boor.