![]() ![]() “Flags were brought in for the purpose of yelling racial slurs and that type of thing,” she said. As rivals, both schools’ students participate in some level of taunting, she said.ĭisplaying flags while taunting Berea teams had taken place from other Greenville County schools in the past as well, Brotherton said. She recalled a past incident where Travelers Rest students held flags and chanted “USA” at past games but she didn’t believe it to be in an offensive way. “I did not bring my flag for taunting or for disrespect to anyone at Berea or anyone that was there,” Waynick said.Ī Berea football player led the team onto the field Friday night carrying a flag, which was normal for all football games, said Bridget Myers, a Berea parent whose son plays on the team. Waynick said she wasn’t aware until after Friday's game that some students had used flags as the basis for taunting Berea students in the past. She proposed that for future Travelers Rest and Berea games, both schools could have “American Outs” where each side dresses up in patriotic gear. Waynick said she and other students had brought flags many times in the past with no issues and said the flags often fly alongside the Travelers Rest High School flag at games. “I am appreciative of the Travelers Rest High School community for sharing its concerns and opinions on this matter in a respectful, civil manner," Royster said in a statement, "I also appreciate and applaud their desire to promote patriotism and service as a part of the culture of their school and am in agreement that students’ desire to carry and display the American flag should be encouraged and supported throughout the district.” ![]() Schools Superintendent Burke Royster said he supported Lavely's reconsideration and willingness to respond to advice and input from the community. "Instead of restricting possession of the flag, the TRHS administration will, if needed, address the misuse of the flag, or any other inappropriate behavior, on an individual basis," she said. Monday, after meeting with student and faculty leaders, Lavely reversed course.Įffective immediately, students are allowed to bring the American flag to all Travelers Rest High School events, Brotherton said. "I don’t want to get in the flag-screening business,” Crowe told The Greenville News on Monday. The decision to ban the flags raised questions in the Berea community, where many posted on social media that they were not offended by the flag, and in Travelers Rest, where the city's police chief said he disagreed with Lavely's decision to ban people from bringing flags to the game. “When they told me I had to put it away, I respected their authority and I took my flag and put it up.” “An administrator walked up behind me and said ‘No American flags,’ and I asked why and they said ‘because it could offend someone,” Waynick said. While sitting in the student section, she said she was approached by an administrator. According to its 2015 state report card, Berea has a sizeable Hispanic population, with 35 percent white, 31 Hispanic, 30 percent African-American and 4 percent other races.Īlivia Waynick, a senior at Travelers Rest, said she brought her American flag to display patriotism at Travelers Rest’s first home game. Lavely said he banned the flags because he didn’t want them to be used in a disrespectful and unsportsmanlike way to taunt Berea. Lavely did not make his decision based on whether the flag offended members of the Berea community and "vehemently denies believing or stating that the flag might be offensive to that community," she said. Lavely made the decision to ban the flags based on past incidents in which Travelers Rest students "used the US flag, in conjunction with verbal taunts, to target Hispanic members of the Berea community in a manner that was both unsportsmanlike and also a misuse of our flag," said Beth Brotherton, Greenville County Schools spokeswoman. The decision came amidst uproar from the community after administrators took away at least one student's flag and banned others from bringing flags to a football game against Berea High School last Friday. Travelers Rest High School Principal Lou Lavely reversed his position Monday on barring Travelers Rest students from bringing US flags to sporting events and will now allow flags to be flown once again. ![]()
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