A bill advancing in the Mississippi House of Representatives would require all K-12 schools to fly the state flag or lose their state accreditation.
The mandate that schools fly the banner, which includes the Confederate battle emblem in its upper left-hand corner, is often flouted. Districts, especially those with majority African-American student bodies, sometimes object to the flag as racist.
The measure would allow any person to file a complaint with the state education department and require the department to investigate. If it found a violation, a district would have 30 days to correct it. If not, the state board of education would be required to withdraw accreditation. Any district losing accreditation could have sports and extracurricular activities limited.
