A sophomore’s Confederate flag hat sparked controversy leaving some students uncomfortable, especially near the time of the Presidential election, and administration debating if further action is needed.

Sophomore Allan Bramhill has been wearing a hat with a Confederate flag patch on the front since the beginning of the school year. In recent weeks, he has faced several trips to administration regarding the hat after some students began complaining that they wanted it removed because they view it as hateful.

Bramhill feels that his First Amendment right is being disregarded when his peers demand him to take off his hat.
Principal Tom Mead pointed out that the student handbook states “any style of dress that is considered disruptive to school activity is prohibited.”

“That simple little sentence is really where all the laws are focused on; it’s the disruption,” Mead said. “So the trick or the challenge to this is to prove it. If one person cares and one person finds it disruptive, that’s the trick. You don’t need a whole bunch of people, just one person.”

According to Bramhill, things offensive to him do not get taken down, so even if not everyone agrees, he feels it is his right to continue to wear the hat.

According to Mead, in terms of whether a real or hypothetical form of expression is a disruption, it is also about who is offended by the speech. Mead further pointed out that Title VI Of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects the rights of minorities.

“There are protections in the Civil Rights Act for students of color, for any minority in our society,” Mead said. “If it’s a minority [being offended] then it would fall under The Civil Rights Act of 1964 because that’s discrimination against an identified minority.”

Bramhill was born in Virginia and lived there for a portion of his childhood, and maintains that he now wears his hat as a representation of his southern pride.

Many students have expressed that the hat makes them uncomfortable and symbolizes something other than pride.

“A lot of people think it’s heritage and not hate, but it stands for what the South wanted, which was to allow slavery,” junior Sofie Hopkins said.

Bramhill said the controversy around his hat has cut into his recent learning time because of the moments he has taken out of his day to discuss it. According to Hopkins, the same goes for other students who take time out of their day to talk about it to administration, whether they are called down or go themselves.

“If the hat makes someone feel upset, angry, or uncomfortable, it could distract them from their learning,” junior Maiya Ellis said. “Many students are noticing and enough people are talking about it and are upset enough to talk to the school about it.”