fb-pixelNewton Confederate flag incident violated policy, district says - The Boston Globe Skip to main content

Newton Confederate flag incident violated policy, district says

A school investigation into four students who drove outside of Newton North High School waving a large Confederate flag out a car window earlier this week found the students at the school violated district policies, officials said Thursday.

Schools Superintendent David Fleishman said privacy rules prohibited him from discussing student discipline, including whether it was applied in this case. Principal Henry J. Turner said the students were trying to be provocative, but the reasons for their actions are not clear.

“They wanted to disrupt, and they wanted to get attention,” Turner said in a telephone interview. “They were willing to take responsibility for what they did. . . . I’m not sure they realized the harm they were making.”

Advertisement



The episode occurred during school hours Tuesday and was witnessed by school employees, who informed him, Turner said. Newton police were then contacted and began searching for the car, which was located Wednesday, he said.

The police investigation is not complete, said Police Chief David MacDonald, who said investigators need to interview more people.

“We don’t have a full picture of it,” he said. “I think a lot of people agree the ignorance of that action is inflammatory.”

A video of the episode went viral on social media after a student who was upset by it posted footage on his Facebook page. The video shows a red car circling Tiger Drive, the main road in front of the school, with the flag waving from the passenger-side window.

“It doesn’t reflect who we are as a school,” Turner said. “This was a troubling event that we’re not happy about, and our community has been hurt by this act.”

He said he met with students and faculty Wednesday and Thursday and a series of actions were proposed to combat bias and help students feel safe.

Advertisement



A class of 40 juniors and seniors were assigned Wednesday to read about the history of the Confederate flag, and they now want to disseminate materials about it throughout the school, Turner said. The same students also want to highlight positive news and acts of kindness about Newton North on the Internet and social media, he said.

And a student group that focuses on diversity and inclusion is planning a forum next week to discuss what happened, Turner said.

Fleishman called the incident “really troubling” and said he is prioritizing efforts to make Newton schools more welcoming and supportive. The issue was the focus of an address he made to faculty and staff at the beginning of the school year.

“It’s really important that we do this work when it’s not in the headlines,” he said. “We want to create kids who will be really prepared to deal with this issue when they become adults.”

Mayor Setti Warren said he visited Newton North Thursday and spoke with student leaders during a conference call. He said he plans to meet with students next week.

“The waving of the Confederate flag at Newton North was absolutely unacceptable,” he said. “It’s a hurtful symbol to many in our schools and in our community.”

Newton North, with nearly 2,100 students, 69 percent of whom are white, has dealt with several anti-Semitic incidents in the past year. Those episodes and others prompted Warren to announce initiatives to make the district more inclusive.

Last March, three anti-Semitic graffiti messages were reported following a basketball game at which students from rival school Catholic Memorial in West Roxbury chanted “You killed Jesus” at the Newton North student section. Anti-Semitic graffiti was also found at Newton North last December.

Advertisement



In February, four racist questions were submitted through an online site as the Black Leadership Advisory Club at Newton North prepared for Black Culture Day.

When such incidents happen, Warren said, he wants to dispatch a crisis response team to the schools, similar to the one in place to assist when tragedy strikes a school, he said.

School Committee Chairman Matt Hills referred questions to school administrators. The co-presidents of the Newton North High School Parent-Teacher Organization said the group has not met to discuss the episode.

Robert Trestan, who directs the New England branch of the Anti-Defamation League, said school officials’ response shows measures in place to address hate are working.

“Students need to have a sense of security in a place that they go every single day,” he said. “All indications are that Newton is taking this very seriously.”


Laura Crimaldi can be reached at laura.crimaldi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @lauracrimaldi.