Confederate flag allowed in dress code at Franklin County schools

ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WSET) —Students in Franklin County will be able to wear the Confederate flag on their clothing if they choose.

The Franklin County School Board voted Monday to not update their dress code to ban the display of the Confederate flag in a 7-1 vote.

Penny Blue, the only black member of the board, proposed to update the dress code policy last fall.

She was the only person who voted to ban the Confederate flag.

Blue argues that the flag is a symbol of white supremacy, but others said the ban would violate students' rights to free speech and could spur legal challenges.

Shelby Valade, a current student in Franklin County, said she understands how the flag can be offensive to some students, but never directly saw the symbol lead to any fights.

For the past few months, Franklin County leaders have debated whether or not to ban the confederate flag from the schools.

According to data collected by the U.S. Census, Franklin County is about 87 percent Caucasian and only about 8 percent African American.

Franklin County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Church says the confederate flag can't be banned without "significant disruption to the school day," like a physical or verbal altercation, or a student leaving the school due to being offended by the symbol.

"I don't like it. I wish students wouldn't wear it," Dr. Church said.

The board's decision was largely influenced by theTinker vs. Des Moines case, which found that you can't take away someone's rights just because you find something offensive.