A number of Black students at Coosa High School in Floyd County, Georgia will not be able to participate in homecoming festivities this week because they were suspended for protesting against racism. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. A group of Black students at the Georgia high school says they have endured an onslaught of racist antics and racial slurs throughout their high school days. Then, things hit a tipping point when a few white students were recorded waving a confederate flag as they neared the school building. Not only is the flag deeply offensive, but several students also say the school has a policy that prevents them from wearing clothing that promotes the Black Lives Matter movement. Despite school guidelines, none of the students that were spotted waving a confederate flag have been suspended.
Frustrated by the administration's inaction, a group of Black and white Latino students planned a protest. Shortly before the demonstration, school officials caught wind of the protest and threatened to punish those involved.
"The administration is aware of tomorrow's planned protest," an administrator said over the intercom, according to Newsweek.
"Police will be present here at school and if students insist on encouraging this kind of activity they will be disciplined for encouraging unrest."
Students involved in the protest told CBS 46 that the school handed down suspensions to the Black teens who planned the demonstration, but failed to discipline the white Latino students that participated. Unfortunately, this is part of a larger trend in Floyd County. Reporting from CBS 46 indicates that Black students are suspended at twice the rate of their white counterparts.
Coosa High School has not issued an official statement regarding the matter, but Newsweek reports that the Rome-Floyd County NAACP has stepped in and plans to meet with parents.
"We want to hear the concerns of the parents,” Rome-Floyd County NAACP President Sara Dahlice Malone said.
“We’ve received so many telephone calls, we need to hear it from them. Then we’ll follow up on those complaints.”
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