Lawrence Journal-World opinion section

This probably isn’t the first time and it certainly won’t be the last that local high school students will be faced with a situation, symbol or person that they find offensive.

Teaching those students how to deal with those situations may be challenging but it also may be far more important than simply trying to shield them from whatever upsets them.

A Free State High School student flying a Confederate flag from his pickup truck caused a minor uproar at the school in January. Based on the disruption, rather than the offensive nature of the flag, administrators barred the flag from school grounds.

Now a group of Free State students is asking the district to create a formal policy banning the Confederate flag. The petition they presented to the school board’s policy advisory committee alleged, among other things, “that the district has failed its students by ignoring the hostile and disrespectful environment that the Confederate flag promotes.”

The Confederate flag certainly is a reminder of a dark aspect of American history, but it’s far from the only symbol that some members of the high school community might find offensive. It’s hard to see where the process of trying to eliminate offensive symbols at Lawrence high schools would end.

The district has opened this door, at least somewhat, by banning gang symbols and what it deems to be hate messages on student clothing. The schools have an interest in maintaining decorum and, to the extent clothing disrupts learning, that ban may have some practical application.

At the same time, it’s important to teach students how to handle the negative emotions triggered by offensive slogans or symbols they will continue to encounter throughout their lives. Our opinions of various people certainly are colored by what they wear or even the bumper stickers on their cars, but seeing an offensive symbol on someone’s truck or ball cap doesn’t have to be a major incident. If those symbols spur strong reactions, people can channel that energy into positive efforts that counteract the offensive message.

School board members are not unconcerned about the student petition but they have to balance that concern against action that might make them liable for infringing on students’ First Amendment rights. Freedom of speech is a bedrock principle of our democracy. Curbing that right because of a student petition or even a majority vote of the student body may seem like a good idea if you’re in the majority, but you likely will feel differently if you find yourself in the minority on some other issue.

It’s great that these high school students are getting involved and speaking up. That’s a very adult action. So is learning to deal with offensive actions and symbols. Lawrence schools can’t shield students from everything they find upsetting, but they can help them prepare to live in a world full of different people and opinions.