Teacher suspended for suggesting Confederate flag is a sign 'that you intend to marry your sister'
A secondary school teacher in Georgia has been suspended from school for calling the confederate flag a sign that an individual plans to marry their own sister.
The Richmond County School System launched an investigation after a teacher put a photo of the confederate flag on the board with a message saying: “A sticker you put on the back of your pickup truck to announce that you intend to marry your sister. Think of it like a white trash 'Save the Date' card.”
A student at Hephzibah High School was upset by the message so told her mother what had happened.
Melissa Fuller, the pupil's mother, voiced her anger about the matter in a post on Facebook, where it was widely circulated and prompted discussion from other parents and local residents.
Related Video: Controversy Over Confederate Flag at Pep Rally
“A lot of [the discussion] is that it's not morally correct. It's unethical. It's just something you don't want to discuss today in today's world and especially inside of a classroom,” Ms Fuller told WRDW-TV.
Ms Fuller said her daughter had been given an in-house suspension after wearing a belt featuring a Confederate flag buckle to school. She was also asked to remove the belt.
Ms Muller said: “If she can't wear that belt buckle, then why is it appropriate to make an assignment out of it?”
The teacher has now been place on administrative leave, according to the Augusta Chronicle.
The school district told the outlet: “The Richmond County School System is committed to creating a diverse, equitable learning environment for all students.
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“The language used in the example was unacceptable and has no place in our classrooms.”
The Confederate flag, first used during the American Civil War, serves as a major flashpoint in the US.
While some non-extremists continue to see the 13-star flag as an emblem of Southern history, it is highly offensive to many who argue it is synonymous with white supremacy, bigotry, slavery and the far right. It is regularly brandished by neo-nazis in the US.
A country and western music fan in Cheltenham in Gloucestershire was made to take down a confederate flag flying over his house in the wake of allegations of racism last summer.
John Bryant, 71, insisted he was unaware of its controversial connotations and had only installed it because he loves country and western music.
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Read more Mother of bullied boy says photos with Confederate flag were 'ironic'
