Hudson High School shouldn't let this moment escape without teaching some important lessons.
The disruption last week from students flying the Confederate flag on the campus flagpole presents the faculty and staff there with an opportunity to educate students (and parents) on tolerance and free speech.
Here are a few suggestions:
Videotape the Feb. 18 "Impact of Racism on Society" presentation at Pasco-Hernando Community College, part of the college's Dialogues in Diversity series, and replay it to students. Pasco County should volunteer to show it on its government channel as well.
Provide refresher courses on the lessons learned in the gang intervention programs taught to middle school students by school resource officers. Though officers' focus at high schools shifts from prevention to intervention, it might be worthwhile to remind students of their own decision-making abilities to avoid disruptive behavior.
Use the news of the day to an advantage. The same day news from Hudson High became public, thousands converged on nearby River Ridge High School to view an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. The copy on tour is owned by television producer Norman Lear, best known for bringing to the airwaves All in the Family, a show that used comedy to confront and defuse bigotry in the 1970s.
Encourage student participation in Camp Anytown, the summer program that emphasizes diversity training and turns high schoolers into ambassadors for racial tolerance.
Most importantly, administrators need to emphasize an ongoing dialogue among students to help reinforce a culture of tolerance in schools.
"They have people talk to them all the time. That's the problem. I don't want to talk to them. They need to talk among themselves. I think these kids need to hear each other's stories," said Roy Kaplan, the executive director of the bay area chapter of the National Conference for Community and Justice.
The incident at Hudson High could be in reaction to recent circumstances in Tarpon Springs in which a student was suspended for three days after circulating an unauthorized petition seeking to ban the Confederate flag from campus. It also might be a juvenile response to February being Black History Month, or a combination of the two.
Whatever the motivations, school personnel in Hudson acted appropriately. Administrators suspended four students who raised the flag. They face possible expulsion for obstruction of school property and disrupting the school environment. One was arrested and charged with criminal mischief after he was accused of cutting the rope so it couldn't be lowered.
A white male student was suspended for using racial slurs and profanity in an angry exchange with a black female student. She was arrested, accused of battery for ramming her shoulder into a school employee.
The correct moves continued on Friday when principal Greg Wright met individually with students and parents and explained the school's decision to ban the Confederate flag from campus. Some students opted to change their attire or cover the flag. A few chose not to and went home, said superintendent John Long.
Courts have said schools can ban symbols creating disruption and potential for violence. In light of the emotional responses on campus Wednesday, clearly this was the correct decision. However, courts also have confirmed students do not lose their constitutional right to free speech while at school.
To balance the competing interests, Hudson High, and other schools as well, should begin a dialogue on the history of the Confederate flag and the national debate over its display.
