Orange County Schools change dress code to ban Confederate flags

Parents and students have been asking the district for several months to change their dress code to ban the Confederate Flag.

In June, the district decided not to place a ban the flags, but instead reworded the dress code to say “Clothing and accessories are not to substantially disrupt the education process. Students are not to wear clothing, buttons, patches, jewelry or any other items with words, phrases, symbols, pictures or signs that are indecent, profane or racially intimidating."

Superintendent Todd Wirt said in a statement Monday night that, following bi-monthly meetings with the board of education, the district made the decision to outright prohibit the flags.

The new dress code reads as follows:

Clothing and accessories are not to substantially disrupt the education process. Students are not to wear clothing, buttons, patches, jewelry, make-up, face/body paint or any other items with words phrases, symbols, pictures or signs that are indecent, profane, or substantially disruptive, including items that are reasonably expected to intimidate other students on the basis of race (for example KKK, swastika, and the Confederate Flag), color, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age or religious affiliation.

“The new policy gives our staff permission to ensure that the learning environment in each of our schools and in each of our classrooms is free of intimidation and distraction with regards to dress and symbols of speech,” Writ said in a statement. “We can and will continue to look for ways to improve our policies, but policy will not change the hearts and minds of our community. That will happen through open hearts, open minds and open dialogue.”