The Franklin County School Board’s decision not to abolish the rebel name and mascot has resulted in a civil rights discrimination complaint filed with the State Department of Education against the board and school principal Stanley Bean.
The board voted 5-3 on October 12, 2020 to keep the rebel name and mascot. Chris Guess, CleiJo Walker, Lance Williams, Christine Hopkins, and Caycee Hanger Roberts voted to keep the name.
Supporters included Linda Jones, Sarah Marhevsky and Sara Liechty.
Those seeking to remove the mascot name and stop playing “Dixie” have cited that the term “rebel” means the oppression associated with slavery.
Those who want the mascot’s name to be preserved are citing an enduring tradition that they believe must be preserved.
Chris Colane, one of the local residents who reached out to the board at the time, filed the 62-page complaint, which lists a number of questions that she answered.
Are you making this claim on behalf of a student?
“Yes, I make this systemic discrimination claim on behalf of all black students in Franklin County High School,” Colane replied.
She said she believed the school board and Bean acted in a discriminatory manner.
The dialog of the complaint states that Colane and others tried to resolve the issue through a petitions process that was extended from July 12th to October 12th. 12, 2020 when the petition was voted against.
The complaint states that on July 13, 2020, the school board filed a motion to remove the rebel mascot, the Colonel Rebel symbol, the battle song “Dixie” and the school seal.
The petition to the school authorities also called for the establishment of a committee to select a new mascot and the establishment of a diverse task force to develop dialogue, raise awareness and implement training courses and measures to promote awareness of discrimination in the school system.
The board has also been asked to enforce its own discrimination policy, which prohibits discrimination against students, the complaint said.
It is said that sports teams at Franklin County High School are called “rebels” and African American students must play soccer, basketball, or other sports teams as either “rebels” or “rebels”.
It is also said that “Dixie” is the song of the school fight and that the school seal is reminiscent of the Confederate flag.
“All of these symbols remind African American students of white oppression,” said the complaint. “These are statements that the white population of Franklin County feels superior to the black population.
“There can be no equality under such symbols and conditions.”
According to the complaint, the school board had four months to respond to the petition for a task force to develop dialogue and promote awareness training on discrimination in the school system. It does say, however, that no steps have been taken to implement it or to raise awareness of discrimination.
Bean said Monday the school system and school board had not acted in a discriminatory manner.
“The school board addressed the problem here when they voted 5-3 and raised the allegations,” he said. “We feel we have fixed the problem.”
Bean said the school system’s legal advisor also raised the issue with the Tennessee Department of Education.
He added that it is up to the Ministry of Education to make a final decision.
Walker said the school system is waiting to see where the Department of Education is.
“If they find out there’s going to be an investigation, we’ll go from there,” she said.
Colane said a survey of rebel mascots was conducted in the high school without first educating students about systemic racism.
“The rebel mascot has been a hot topic for decades,” Colane said, adding that she is a white woman and the parent of two former Franklin County High School students.
She said her daughter was a student in 1991 when there was a student strike over the rebel mascot and banning the Confederate flag from school events.
Colane said her son graduated from the “old” high school in 2004.
“At the time, there was a widespread expectation from the community that the rebel mascot would be removed from the new high school,” she said. “However, this did not happen.
“More recently, the name of the high school street has been renamed Rebel Drive.”
Colane said six multigenerational people had turned to school boards about persistent systemic racism in the school system.
The complaint says that while they are ex-students or have children in the school system, Bean stated in a media interview that “it is outside people who cause divisions”.
The complaint states that Shanae Williams, who had reached out to the board, is a black FCHS graduate and former cheerleader.
It is said that she led the movement to remove the rebel mascot and wrote “Project Rebel,” a document about it.
The complaint says Williams also filed a petition to remove the rebel mascot, which was signed by more than 2,500 people.
Williams had said the rebel was selected as the school mascot in 1950 when the student body was all white.
“Therefore, especially in view of the persistent systemic racism of the Franklin County School System, the mascot is not only exclusive but also openly oppressive for African American students today,” the complaint said.
Barbara Brannon, who is over 80 years old, was one of the first black students to enter Franklin County High School when desegregation was enforced at the federal level in the 1950s.
She told the school board that she was stripped of her black culture and history because she was forced to live in a white rebel culture.
“We live in your world,” she told the school board.
Brannon also stated that while Franklin County High School was separated, it was never integrated. She demanded the admission of all children.
The complaint cites other examples of former students and residents who have had problems maintaining what they believe to be links with the former confederation.
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