Confedeate Battle Flag at School Leads to Lockdown
By: George Franco
Posted:Sep 25 2015 09:38PM EDT
Updated:Sep 28 2015 10:05AM EDT

POLK COUNTY, Ga. - A trio of students has been suspended from school after one of them brought a Confederate battle flag to campus.

Officials said the disruption occurred Wednesday morning at Rockmart High School in Polk County when a 10th grade boy arrived with a Confederate battle flag attached to his backpack.

"He got dropped off out of his truck and came down the sidewalk just like any other student does," said Principal Wesley Cupp.

He said the sophomore, who is white, then walked through the cafeteria before school started onto the courtyard with the Confederate battle flag strapped to his backpack. That's where he was confronted by two African-American students.

"They wanted to confront him about what he had on his back pack. What did they say? Hey man why you doing that," said Cupp.

Principal Cupp also said shoving and exchange of words among the students was minimal because staff broke it up within minutes. He said no weapons were found. But later in the morning, the school was put through a lockdown drill with students kept in class after rumors of other students bringing Confederate battle flags surfaced.

"We just did that as a precautionary situation to help maintain and control what could have been a bad situation," said Cupp.

He said all three students involved were suspended for the disruption which had nothing to do with Freedom of Speech.

"When you become a distraction where students can't learn because of a distraction then that needs to be removed," said Cupp.

http://www.fox5ny.com/news/25792758-story