Dad Files Complaint Against Round Rock School After Son Suspended For Confederate Flag Pose [UPDATED]

ROUND ROCK, TX -- The father of a Round Rock middle school student suspended for posing with a Confederate flag is now considering taking legal action against the district for suspending his son, according to a published report.

Andrew Birdwell tells the Round Rock Leader community newspaper the school district was out of bounds in suspending his 14-year-old son, a Ridgeview Middle School student, for posing with others alongside the flag tied to the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The battle flag is a polarizing symbol in an era where governments across the country are ridding themselves of reminders of the Civil War -- particularly symbols tied to the pro-slavery South.

"Any and all teachers would find out, hopefully … the school made a mistake and know my son isn’t a racist,” Birdwell told the newspaper. He said the district owes his son an apology, at the very least.

To that end, Birdwell confirmed on Tuesday he had filed a formal complaint to the school district, the Leader reported. He said he was seeking a formal apology from district staff, and also wanted $75 he gave for a school field trip, which his son missed due to the suspension.

Last week, the district issued a statement inferring it was more than just a simple pose with a flag, and was instead a series of incidents peppered with hateful language that climaxed into the posed scene among several students. But district officials declined to provide further details in citing students' privacy.

“Please know that Ridgeview and Round Rock ISD value student voice," district officials wrote in a statement. "However, the top priority for all schools, including Ridgeview, is to provide every student with a safe and secure learning environment. Safety and security is contingent upon a culture of tolerance, as well as student voice."

Birdwell told the Leader his son just liked the aesthetics of the flag, especially its bright colors, and his posing with it had nothing to do with the issue of slavery or any bias the young man might.

“There was nothing more to the picture,” Birdwell told the newpaper. “They weren’t smiling, didn’t look sad, didn’t look happy; just taking a picture.”

The father also disputed the district's assertion his son was using hateful language leading up to his participating in the picture-taking session.

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From April 27:

ROUND ROCK, TX -- A group of seven boys attending Round Rock ISD schools were recently suspended for snapping a picture while posing with a Confederate flag at Ridgeview Middle School, according to a news report.

Andy Birdwell acknowledged to Fox 7 News that his 14-year-old son was one of the Suspended Seven. He scolded his namesake son, essentially asking him to explain what would possess him to participate in such a picture -- especially in light of the renewal backlash against symbols of the pro-slavery Confederacy.

“When I asked my son: Exactly why would you take a picture? What transpired for you to want to do this and take a picture? and he said, ‘Dad, I just really liked the colors,' " the father explained.

The father said an assistant principal found the offending photograph while looking through a student's cell phone. While baffled by his son's behavior, Birdwell disagrees with the school official's assessment that the photo was inherently threatening.

“I called up there yesterday asking for a copy of the disciplinary action and his statement was to me that the boys were holding up a Confederate flag and that is a sign of slavery,” Birdwell told the news station.

Round Rock ISD spokesman Corey Ryan expounded as to why the district took the disciplinary action once the photo was discovered: “Our top priority at Round Rock ISD, at any of our schools, is to ensure the safety and security of our school and that's contingent upon a tolerant learning community for all student," he said.

Birdwell wondered aloud why there are homework assignments displaying the flag, yet his son was disciplined for holding one.

"It was kind of tough for me to explain why he's getting assignments from school with a Confederate flag on it, yet he can't hold one," he said.

But there's a time and a place, Ryan suggested in an interview with Fox 7. Images of the flag are, indeed, shown on homework assignments but for study purposes only.

"Our teachers in Round Rock ISD, across all of our schools, including Ridgeview Middle School, they touch on sensitive subjects as part of learning, as part of teaching, especially elements of history," Ryan told the news station.