By Betsy Finklea
The case involving a student who wore a Confederate flag t-shirt t school has been dismissed.
According to an order by Judge Terry L. Wooten, U.S. District Judge, the case was dismissed in its entirety.
Dr. John Kirby, superintendent of the Latta Schools, said it was a relief to get the case over. He said it had been an eight year process, with six of these years being involved in the legal process. He said they had victories at all three levels of the court system.
Dr. Kirby said is reaffirms the school board’s authority to put a policy in place for behavior, dress code, and other related areas to keep the school safe.
Principal George Liebenrood said the decision will allow schools to be able to control the dress code. He said students are asked to change clothes if they wear something deemed to be inappropriate and are able to get this back at the end of the day. Martha Heyward, who was a principal at the time of the incident, said that if students wear something in violation of the policy, they address it. She said in this case, the student was not treated or handled differently than the other students.