A Maryland student ascended the Glenelg High School bleachers and unfurled the Confederate flag during his school's opening football game against River Hill. School administrators immediately told him to take it down and then disciplined him for his actions.
"Carrying a Confederate flag is not illegal, but anything that causes disruption is actionable from an administrative perspective," Rebecca Amani-Dove, spokeswoman for Howard County Schools, told The Washington Post.
Amani-Dove did not specify what discipline the student received for the incident that occurred on Sept. 5. The administrative action was taken in accordance with the school's Student Code of Conduct, according to Howard County Schools Superintendent Renee A. Foose in a press release.
Both Glenelg and River Hill principals sent letters home to parents and addressed the situation with students on Sept. 8.
"Public displays of the Confederate Flag evoke division, hate and subjugation - precisely the opposite of the values we hold in Howard County, and in Maryland. We must teach our kids why this is such a hurtful symbol to so many people. We must fight against injustice and intolerance in any form, especially at our school," Howard County Executive Ken Ulman wrote in a Facebook post.
In Foose's press release entitled "Civility in our HCPSS Community," she addressed Howard County Schools' policies for civility, student conduct and safe schools.
"Collectively, these policies support a culture that is intolerant of hateful and disruptive behaviors, words, and symbols," she wrote. "We believe that we are enriched by our diversity. Howard County is an enlightened, civil community that values and draws strength from our rich diversity."
Foose saw the "unfortunate incident" as a teachable moment from which to "draw positive lessons."
"I encourage our 53,000 students to understand the sociocultural and historical context of all of their peers, and act in ways that are both honorable and respectful."
The majority of the Howard County school district is white at 44 percent. The minority student body breaks down as 22 percent African American, 18 percent Asian and 9 percent Hispanic, according to the Post.
