Spartanburg County school districts do not plan to follow a policy recently established in Charleston County public schools banning Confederate items from clothing, jewelry and cars on campus.
Charleston students violating the policy are subject to removal from school, but discipline for each instance will be handled on a case-by-case basis, school officials said.
S.C. Regions
Though the wording of each policy varies in Spartanburg County’s seven school districts, each bans clothing that interferes with the educational process, doesn’t comply with requirements of health and safety or is destructive to school property.
None of the dress code policies in Spartanburg County single out the Confederate flag.
“Unless it’s indecent, causes a disturbance or is dangerous in any way, we aren’t going to address it,” Spartanburg School District 4 Superintendent Rallie Liston said.
The decision to ban displays of the Confederate flag in Charleston County schools was made before the start of this school year. School officials established the policy after nine people were killed in a mass shooting in Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in June.
The nine parishioners were African-American. The man accused of the killings, Dylann Roof, was later shown in photographs holding or wearing clothing emblazoned with the Confederate flag.
On July 10, the Confederate flag located on the S.C. State House grounds was removed. The flag flew above the Statehouse for more than 50 years.
During the first week of school in Spartanburg County, officials said there were no instances of students displaying images of the Confederate flag.
“We have had no instances of staff or students with the Confederate flag on clothes or cars,” said Sally Hammond, chief communications officer with Spartanburg District 7.
Spartanburg District 2 Superintendent Scott Mercer said school administrators determine what, if any, dress code violations cause problems at schools.
“When the climate of a school is positive, when there is mutual respect between students and staff and a great deal of school spirit with the attitude of ‘we are all in this together’ prevailing, we have found our disciplinary situations to be few and minor,” he said.
Language from the court system prompted many dress code policies in school districts, Liston said. He said language can be adapted to specific areas because what is considered a distraction in schools may be different in some areas.
“There is a myriad of things you have to look at,” he said. “We want to educate students and welcome them to a safe and orderly environment.”
