Confederate Flag Sparks Rome Student Protest and Suspension Of Protest Planners

GEORGIA — Coosa High School students in Rome say they were suspended for planning to protest the on-campus use of the Confederate flag, according to reports.

During a school spirit day — called “farm day” — at the Floyd County school, student organizer Jaylynn Murray told CBS Atlanta 46 News that four students were flying the Rebel flag.

“I feel the Confederate flag should not be flown at all. It is a racist symbol and it makes me feel disrespected,” Murray said.

WAGA Fox 5 News reports that some students planned to have “a quiet protest with Black Lives Matter shirts on.”

African American and Latin American students planned the protest noting that they are not allowed to wear “Black Lives Matter” apparel CBS46 reports.

“We’re not allowed to wear Black Lives Matter shirts or the LGBTQ flag, but kids can have Confederate flags and they have said nothing,” Lilyan Huckaby told CBS46.

Like this article? Sign up for our newsletter and get it delivered every weekday. It's free!

Word spread about the protest and school officials learned, calling the planners to the office, Fox 5 reports and sparking the message from the school principal:

“School and district administrators are currently investigating this issue as well as racially motivated social media posts that were brought to our attention,” said an excerpt of the letter posted by Fox 5.

Parents and students told CBS46 that only the Black students involved in planning the protest — not other non-Black students — were notified by Floyd County Sheriff’s deputies that they were suspended from school.

Friday, students who were suspended participated in a protest outside the school, joined by parents and students who were not suspended but had parental consent to skip school in protest.

A Floyd County Schools spokesperson did not return calls from Patch.