A group of Sandy High School students is calling on the Oregon Trail School District to ban the Confederate flag, saying the flag is part of a larger culture of racism at the school.
Seniors Molly Izer and Josiah Rothwell are two of the students spearheading
to get the flag banned. Rothwell told OPB’s “Think Out Loud” that he and other BIPOC students don’t feel the school can be a safe learning environment when the flag is still flown.
“I don’t think any student of color will feel safe as long as that flag’s here. It’s a symbol of pervasive racism, the enslavement of Black lives, murder and rape,” Rothwell said.
“As long as that goes unpunished and unaddressed, how can we feel welcomed in a school like that?”
Rothwell said the flag is still displayed on several other students’ vehicles, and can be seen on some students’ clothing. The flag has also played a part in several racist incidents, according to multiple students of color.
“Often when I walk down the halls, I’ll see people wearing it on their hats, or on their sweatshirts. Pretty much every day we see it on students’ backs,” Rothwell said.
By Wednesday, the petition had garnered nearly 5,000 signatures online, calling for school administrators to address the racism on school campuses and students’ use of hate symbols. As the school’s existing code of conduct stands, clothing “bearing derogatory slogans is not permitted.”
As organizers have circulated the Sandy HS petition, they've heard multiple accounts of racism at the school from students of color. Rothwell recalled what a Black freshman said she experienced, before she transferred schools.
“She heard the n-word every day from non-Black students, and more often than not it was within the earshot of teachers, and nothing was done about it,” Rothwell said. “Seeing the flag flown, she feels unsafe, unrespected and unheard, and doesn’t feel like she doesn’t belong at a school like that.”
Senior Molly Izer said that schools should implement better efforts into race education. She also wants teachers to do a better job of holding racist behavior accountable beyond a “slap on the wrist.”
“Schools are expected to make sure that all of their students feel safe, and are able to learn safely — and that is not what is happening right now,” Izer said.
“Just because we are in a school that is 76% white, doesn’t mean that we should value the safety of our students of color any less, just because the administration may fear backlash from white students.”
“The fact is, we need students to address how hurtful their actions can be, and how they can actively work toward solving that,” Izer added.
School administrators are meeting at the end of the month to discuss the issue.
