School district reverses policy on Confederate flag T-shirt honor

When is a Confederate flag not offensive? When it’s a memorial to a family member and friend who liked the Dukes of Hazzard, according to a Minnesota school district.

KEYC reports that 700 T-shirts are being distributed in the Waterville, Lonsdale, and Morristown area in honor of Zachary Paulson,18, of Kilkenny and Derek Brandvold,24, of Waterville. The two were killed in an ATV crash in August.

The Waterville school district originally banned the T-shirts, but has since relented.

“I had a lot of kids come up to me and get offended,” Natalie Purfeerst, a sister of one of the men, tells the TV station.

“As long as it doesn’t create a disruption it is acceptable,” school superintendent Joel Whitehoust now says.

But students in Lonsdale and Morristown were told not to wear them.

“We’re sad they can’t respect and appreciate the boys,” Brandvold’s mother, Kris Purfeerst, says.