Burleson: School official says Confederate image violates dress code

12:00 AM CST on Saturday, January 7, 2006

By JIM DOUGLAS WFAA-TV

BURLESON – Two Burleson High School students who were kicked out of class for displaying rebel flags say they will take their fight to court.

They said they are proud of their heritage, but Burleson High School education officials said the Confederate symbol is offensive.

Ashley Thomas said it all started when she was approached by a school administrator.

"Principal comes up and says, 'You've got to get rid of your purse ... it's racist,' " Ashley said.

Ashley and Aubrie McAllum both received purses patterned after the Confederate battle flag from their parents for Christmas. Both girls decided to take their presents to school.

"I don't have 'KKK' written on me or anything; it's just a purse," Aubrie said. "[It] doesn't have anything to do with what color you are."

The students were asked to leave their purses with the principal; they decided to leave school after calling their parents.

Ashley was sent home three times this week.

"I'm at the point where I really don't know what to do," she said. "I want to keep going to school and get my education, but this is my life. I was born and raised in the South. Why is the flag so bad?"

Burleson school district spokesman Richard Crummel said it's because the purses violate the school's dress code.

"We don't want students to wear anything that might cause a disruption, and that symbol has done that in the past," Mr. Crummel said.

Aubrie's father, Rick McAllum, belongs to the Sons of Confederate Veterans and said he disagrees.

"That's a heritage violation on her, on me ... on all of us," said Mr. McAllum. "So we can push it."

Ashley's mother, Joni Thomas, is from New York, but the parents of both girls praised their daughters and vowed to fight.

"I'm hiring a lawyer," Ms. Thomas said. "I'm going all the way with it, because I think it's wrong."

Burleson High School, with 2,200 students, is about 90 percent white and 8 or 9 percent Hispanic. There are few blacks.

"We want to be sensitive to everyone [and] make it comfortable in school for all our students," Mr. Crummel said.

E-mail jdouglas@wfaa.com