School forces outside workman to remove CBF From truck?

SLRC investigates reports

ASHEVILLE, NC – The SLRC is investigating reports from several sources that a member of a Tennessee-based roofing crew doing work at Asheville High School was made to remove a decorative Confederate battle flag license plate from his personal vehicle.

According to eyewitness reports, the foreman of the work crew from Eskola Roofing Company of Morristown, TN, was approached by an unidentified member of the Asheville High School maintenance department, given a screwdriver and told the crew foreman to have the driver of the vehicle with the Confederate tag remove the tag or shut the entire job down.

However, in an e-mail to Southern Heritage 411 President H. K. Edgerton, Asheville City Schools Superintendent Allen Johnson denied that such an ultimatum was issued. Instead, Johnson said, the Asheville High employee told the Eskola foreman he “had a concern about possible vandalism to the van [which displayed the Battle Flag]” Johnson quoted the foreman as saying “I gave direction to the driver of the van to remove the tag with his own tools. At no time did [the Asheville High staffer] tell me to remove the tag or shut the job down.”

“While Board policies and contract requirements do set out acceptable behavior of outside contractors when they are on school property, the display of a Confederate flag vanity license plate is nowhere addressed or regulated,” Johnson admitted.