DICKSON, Tenn. – School officials in Dickson County spent the weekend fielding angry comments and threats from across the country in response to a recently implemented flag policy.
"We've had people threaten us and threaten our school system, students in our school system," Director of Schools Danny Weeks said. "Those make it hard for us to focus upon teaching and learning."
On Friday News Channel 5 aired a story about the school district's decision to not allow students to bring any banners or flags, including the American flag, on campus. It was a policy which stemmed from the Confederate flag controversy last summer.
The story was picked up by national media and taken out of context.
"In the last couple of days we've probably responded to more than a couple hundred emails. We've also probably gotten 50 to 75 calls that have made it past the switch board and people that have not been satisfied with talking with people on the switch board," Weeks explained.
School officials said their goal is to teach students the proper way to respect the American flag, "before our ball games, bringing it on with the JROTC, letting the color guard come on there, showing it and prominently displaying it in all of our schools, the playing of the national anthem and those things," said Weeks.
That does not include on the backs of vehicles or draped across students like capes.
There have been reports the school system has banned the flags all together, but that's simply not true. All schools are still flying a flag out front and students have continued to say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning.
The school system wasn’t the only one caught up in the controversy. Several city and county leaders have also been threatened. "We've filed several police reports and actually hired additional security in our school and school system just for the next few days until this kind of settles down some," said Weeks.
The school district has received so many threats that officials have had to up security around the county.
