BALDWIN, Fla. – The controversy over flying the Confederate flag has now reached the classroom after students at Baldwin Middle and Senior High School said they were told to remove rebel flags from their trucks parked in the school's parking lot.
School officials wouldn't say if this was a new rule or not but the controversy started this week when one student was told to remove his flag and more students came back the next day with more flags to show support.
John Moncrief said everything started earlier this week when he was called to the office about his truck. At first he was told his truck didn't have a parking permit and then he was told to remove the flag.
"She was like, ‘Do you have a Confederate flag on your truck?' And I said, ‘Yes ma'am," and she goes, ‘You need to go out there and remove it.' I was like, ‘Why do I need to remove it? It's not bothering anybody.' And she goes, ‘Because the fact that it causes commotion or something or basically causes drama throughout the school,' and she doesn't want any problems," Moncrief said.
Since that happened Moncrief is now keeping his truck parked at a nearby restaurant where the owner said the flag is now gaining lots of attention.
"That's been a lot of talk. You know it just goes back to what's becoming of our world," restaurant owner Terry Koljeski said.
The flag has also become a rally point for some other students, including John Hargrove.
"One of my buddies flew a rebel flag on his truck and they made him take it down. So in support of that we decided we would fly our flags too," Hargrove said.
Hargrove said he was also told to take his flag down.
"I mean it kind of offended me because that's my heritage. I support the South. I don't see why that's a problem," Hargrove said.
But there are some other students, like Frederick Curry, who do see a problem.
"It's disrespectful to all of the students who come to school to learn," Curry said.
And that's a sentiment shared by fellow student Howard Allen.
"I think it's not a good environment for the black kids that go here. I think it's really prejudice," Allen said.
News4Jax did try talking with the school's principal and the school board and was told there was no comment but the school board is looking into the matter.