Rocklin high school student disciplined for displaying Confederate flag on campus

An incident involving the Confederate flag resulted in disciplinary action at a Rocklin area high school.

A Whitney High School student had the flag displayed on their vehicle, Whitney High School Principal Justin Cutts told families Wednesday. He said any clothing or vehicles depicting the controversial flag on campus is a violation of the Rocklin Unified School District’s freedom of speech and expression board policy.

“At Whitney High School, we strive to develop learning communities respectful of each and every member of this campus and to many, the Confederate flag undermines the values of inclusiveness and equity,” Cutts said. “We respect the rights of individuals to express their views however, those views and expressions may directly conflict with our legal obligation to ensure a non-discriminatory and non-harassing environment for our students and staff.”

The flag was used by the 11 southern states that seceded from the United States over slavery and fought the Civil War. Today, the flag is commonly used by white supremacists and serves a symbol of slavery, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

As desegregation in schools progressed in the 1950s, and as Supreme Court ruled on Brown vs. Board of Education, allowing Black children to attend all schools, the Confederate flag was raised more often, according to a CNN analysis.

Cutts said in his statement school officials will meet with student clubs to discuss the incident.

In a statement to The Sacramento Bee, district officials said the district “strives to develop learning communities respectful of each and every member of this campus and to many, the Confederate flag undermines our values of inclusiveness and equity.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2021 at 12:04 PM.