Soon after another student was sent home for wearing a shirt that also read “Black Lives Matter”.
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They were supported by their parents, a diversity consultant, and a pastor who called out the school for “systemic racism”, Buzzfeed reports. Even to those who are offended by Black Lives Matter, or the notion that black lives have any value, if a white power T-shirt is acceptable to wear at school, then Havard’s shirt should be a nonissue.
Administrators at Buckeye quickly concluded that Confederate flag shirts are also banned. “We’re trying to end one”, Buckeye student Genesis Santoyo, a friend of Havard, told The Arizona Republic.
Chanting “We’re fired up, can’t take it no more!” the protesters walked off Buckeye Union High School grounds to protest the incident and to raise awareness about threats and intimidation several students have received since the episode on August 23.
Havard complied but not before posting a picture of herself on Facebook and then calling her mother, who had a meeting with the administration the following day to clarify the policy, citing the fact that confederate flag T-shirts had been worn by students in the past with no penalty. “[People] have made death threats to the students here on Snapchat, Facebook, social media”.
‘This is an excellent opportunity to teach tolerance, understanding, and acceptance for the diverse learners that make up BUHSD.
‘It will take the support of all involved and from the communities we serve.
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The school published a statement on its website saying the “district strives to remain politically neutral while allowing student expression”, but that they could not allow expressions to “interfere with the learning process and become a potential danger to students”.
