Confederate flag ignites battle between private Columbia school, parent [View all]

A dispute over the Confederate flag has pitted one of Columbia’s premier private schools against a parent of two of its students.

Rhett Ingram, 38, on Thursday took his 14- and 11-year-old children out of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, the only school they’ve known, after the school adopted a policy that effectively bans the Civil War-era banner.

Heathwood officials say Ingram repeatedly had been asked not to display the flag on his pickup truck while on the school’s campus. But, they add, Ingram persisted, becoming disruptive to the school’s environment. Ingram also brought unsecured firearms onto the campus in his truck about a month ago, headmaster Chris Hinchey said Friday.

“We engaged in thoughtful conversation for over a month hoping to reach some resolution,” Hinchey said. “Just as we enforce dress codes with children ... we felt that we needed to enforce our (flag) policy.”

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article177524436.html