A petition is circulating in Boyle County asking for the removal of the Boyle County High School Rebel mascot.
The petition says the Rebel mascot sitting atop a horse is a symbol of white supremacy, and celebrates people who attempted to secede from the United States to maintain slavery.
Boyle County School District officials are asking people who would like to see the mascot changed to contact the high school’s Site-Based Decision Making Council.
“Consideration of mascot changes begin at the school level with the Site-Based Decision Making Council, and that’s where we’ve encouraged interested parties to start,“ Amy Bugg, a school district spokeswoman told the Herald-Leader.
“The image of a Civil War era cavalry soldier astride a rearing horse with saber held aloft leaves little to the imagination of the unspoken values held by the school,” says the petition.
One Boyle County graduate, Abby Piper, posted on social media that “symbols of white supremacy have no place in education,” according to the newspaper.
“As an alumnus of @BigRebelNation, I am joining hundreds of others in demanding that the SBDM change the mascot, and that @LaFaversMike and the @BoyleCoSchools Board support the change,” Piper said in the post.
The petition states that the school’s flag harkens to the battle flag used by the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, now widely used by white supremacists, and changing the mascot would communicate to every student that walks through the doors (that there’s) an openness and acceptance of them and that everyone is welcome regardless of race.
Boyle Superintendent Mike LaFavers did not have a comment on the petition, but he supplied the newspaper with a statement he issued in June on social justice and race relations, saying he was deeply saddened by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
“It is definitely time for us all to stand together in the name of social justice,” he said. “What does this mean for the public school that I am in charge of? Are all children treated fairly? Can every student pursue their own unique passions and ambitions? Are we nurturing all of our students to our greatest ability? My answer to all of these questions is … yes. However, what I am beginning to realize is that I am the wrong person to answer these questions; a married, white, 52-year-old man. My perspective on the world is skewed by my experiences and my own reality based on my upbringing and the places and experiences I encountered along the way. “
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
