Principal is correct. We do not allow gang symbols in schools, and this might as well be a gang. How utterly sad that the good people are intimidated by the bad.

Good people, white and black, have to stand up and take charge.

Much of this sillyness could be avoided, if people did not conscribe to the fallacy that the Civil War was fought to free the slaves.

I'm white and I oppose the Confederate flag. Those who think it is merely a symbol of their heritage are grossly ignorant of American history. I'm white and Republican and a teacher, and absolutely abhor what the rebel flag symbolizes. It's been over 140 years; time to give up the war.

It sounds very much like the Ellis' "family" (where is the father?) came with an agenda or at the very least with a chip on their shoulder. Nothing is said about how the initial confrontation came about. Did she harress the boy or belittle his attire? How else would the flag have even come up? Refuge in an histoic church basement? Lots of staged drama here for news media. Now there is the usual invitation to "dialogue". It is never a dialogue, only another lecture about accomodation (capitulation) to a constant whining and blaming. Ellis family: Just stay in DC and celebrate your diversity. You deserve it.

To Greg: A family outnumbered 9-1 on a race issue decides to pick a fight? R U serious? Unfort. what we have here is a bunch of white folk who are still holding on to racism as an excuse why they lost the war 7 generations ago.

sad, but true.

When school districts and others show forth ONE-HALF the concern over the display of the overtly racist "Malcolm X" as they do over the display of the historical Confederate Battle Standard, I'll believe this has something to do with racism. Until then, it is nothing but political correctness run amok.

The War Between the States had very little to do directly with slavery until Lincoln needed a way to keep England from jumping in on the side of the Confederacy while also boosting sagging support in the North. And the vast majority of southerners who fought--including a fair number of blacks--did so NOT nearly so much to preserve legal slavery, but to repel what they viewed as meddling invaders imposing unjust tariffs and taxes on them.

It is unfortunate that some racist groups have tried to claim the confederate battle standard as their own. But I remind all that Old Glory flew over a nation that sanctioned slavery for nearly 100 years while the Confederate Battle Standard was not even the official national flag of the confederacy but the CSA sanctioned slavery for only 4 years.

It is terrifying that history teachers are so lacking in this basic knowledge.

Regarding the previous post - "I'm white and I oppose the Confederate flag. Those who think it is merely a symbol of their heritage are grossly ignorant of American history. I'm white and Republican and a teacher, and absolutely abhor what the rebel flag symbolizes. It's been over 140 years; time to give up the war." I DOUBT he is a Republican or a teacher. If so he would know it's not the 'Rebel' flag, it's the 'Confederate Battle flag'. He would also know it represents the everyday Confederate soldier, not racism or hate. He would also know that the vast majority of soldiers never owned slaves and fought to defend their states (their state was their country in those days), their homes and their families.

The unfortunate reality is that, although the Confederate battle flag was never intended as a racist symbol, subsequent events and the rewriting of history have turned it into one. History Buff is correct in his explanation of what the flag originally meant. Its meaning has been perverted by those representing each side of the racist card.

I would like to hear from the other side. Where is their story? This piece doesn't do justice to the Flag Bearers and is a basic bashing hate article against them.

As to the so called republican teacher, no wonder we have dumbed down students. This attitude is exactly what is so wrong with our government educational system. TEACH THYSELF - google it

Let's forget about the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia for a second. Both sides have to agree that it has been hijacked and corrupted by those who opposed integration in the 1950s and those who want to use it for purely intimidation purposes in these modern days in Cumberland.

Why not fly the first national flag to honor our brave ancestors who fought in the War Between the States? It would send a message that really couldn't be denied by southern-hating folk who hate the "rebel" flag. By flying the first national, we would be distinguishing real heritage from hate.

And after all, isn't this really about someone cutting into a lunch line at a high school? She was called out for doing something wrong and immediately began blaming others for her poor behavior. This is nothing new, and unfortunately, something learned at an early age in Washington D.C. It is never your own fault when you can blame someone else for your own shortcomings. Just ask Marion Barry.

Hey abolitionist, I am so pround that you are a white republican who abhors the Confederate flag. You are entitled to your opinion, but you most certainly do not have the right to dictate its meaning and insult those who see it as a symbol of their heritage. Admittedly the flag has been misused by hate groups, just as Old Glory has. I am not grossly ignorant of American History. The flag belonged to the soldier and only he, and now his descendants, can give an account for its true meaning. Hate and insult the person who misuses the flag. I really like how the media blames the flag for the trouble and not the person...kind of like blaming the guns for killing people and not the shooter!

I fully realize the attacks to our southern heritage. I agree about using the 1st national flag as a heritage symbol. But, you do realize that it won't be good enough. They will call that racist also.
Remember that for every southerner who is proud of their heritage, you have Republican school teachers who could care less and would spit on you for your beliefs.

It was not a War between the States, it was a rebellion by 13 states who felt they could break up the union with impunity.

The Good King George referred to most or should I say some of our great great grandfathers as rebels. The difference being our nation won the Revolutionay War. The Southern Rebellion was crushed,hence the term rebels. The Confederate Battle Flag became a symbol for the KKK and other radical groups of today, hence it is a rebel flag and should be done with.

It is so sad to see the depths our School system has sunk and the subject of history in particular. The jokes on the Cumberland schools who apparently didn't teach their students that the Western Maryland area, where Cumberland lies, was pro-Union and did not support the South.

When I was in school, all we concentrated on was good marks and passing to the next grade. Everyone, especially teachers, should butt out and ignore hair styles, clothing, and especially the student's right to Freedom Of Expression, which gives students character to compete in the "Real World"!!!!

Sadly, it is true that the Confederate Battleflag has been hijacked by small-minded bigots for many years, and their use of it as a symbol for their racist agendas should be abhorrent to all of us. That said, the tens of thousands of Southerners who fought in the War of Northern Agression deserve to be honored, and few symbols so evoke their courage and values (yes, some of them were flawed---who among us is perfect). Senator Obama is right; we need a candid airing out of our differences on race, not simply a knee jerk, I'm right, you're wrong. The flag needs to be restored to its proper place as a proud symbol of a proud (but flawed) heritage, not as a celebration of that heritage's flaws! As someone else pointed out, there are no shortage of flaws associated with Old Glory herself, yet still she flies, and every patriot's heart swells with pride at her passing. Let's put this to rest, agree that different people and different contexts change the meaning of the South's Battleflag, but blanket condemnations or bans are every bit as bad as ignorant racism.

The Drums of the 47th
By Robert J. Burdette
University of Illinois Press

Chapter XI GOOD FIGHTING ON POOR FOOD
That night I was detailed on duty with parties that go over the field, looking for the wounded and the dead, succoring the living, burying the dead...
We found a dead Confederate lying on his back, his outspread fingers stretched across the stock of the rifle lying at his side. He was one of Rogers' Texans. Fifty-seven of them we had found lying in the ditch of Battery Robinette.
I covered his face with the slouch hat still on his head and took off the haversack slung to his neck that it might not swing as we carried him to his sleeping-chamber…