Confederate clothing donned for Norwin's 'Merica Day homecoming event draws ire

The father of a Norwin High School student complained that his daughter was subjected to racial intimidation for hours Monday when two students attended school wearing clothing with a Confederate flag pattern.

Robert Dye said the actions were part of the school’s “’Merica Day,” promoted by the district as part of Homecoming Week. Students were encouraged to wear red, white and blue.

Dye’s daughter is biracial, and he complained not enough is being done to address racial intimidation in the district.

“I learned of this at 10 a.m. Monday when my daughter forwarded me a photograph that was circulating on social media of the two students permitted to wear the Confederate clothing. I can tell you I was personally disgusted,” Dye said. “Those students were permitted to wear that clothing by the high school principal until about 1:30 p.m., when they were told to remove it. That’s five hours after the fact. … I attended school during the 1980s, and I’m sure if someone pulled something like that then, they would have been suspended from school.

“But in Norwin, kids are just told to take off the racist clothes and symbols and are sent merrily along their way with no further consequence.”

Superintendent Jeff Taylor said in a statement Tuesday night the students were encouraged to wear red, white and blue to show support for the nation, but two students wore clothing “that many in our community have found offensive.”

Two students wearing Confederate flag garb were reported when they went to their first class, Taylor said. When they were in the library before class, those clothes were not visible because one student was seated and the other was wrapped in a Trump 2020 banner. When school administrators became aware of the photos that spread on social media, the students were asked to change clothes and they did.

While they are disappointed the incident occurred, Taylor stated that “we see it as a learning opportunity to reinforce the Norwin School District’s commitment to a safe, healthy and positive learning environment.”

Dye emphasized that his daughter is not the only student who was offended.

“School is supposed to be a learning environment. I’m all for freedom of expression and that, but please keep your racist expressions — which that clothing certainly is — for private events and keep it out of the public schools,” Dye said.

The image of the students with the Confederate flag clothing was part of a series of photos, one of which had six people with text imposed that everybody who gets offended by the U.S. flag and the Confederate flag “need to stop wearing (expletive) dog callers (sic) before I take y’all on a walk.”

One image includes text that states “Triggered teacher count #1” and misspells the name of a high school teacher.

Ryan Lynn, president of the Norwin Education Association, could not be reached for comment.

North Huntingdon Police Chief Robert Rizzo said the school district and the district’s police officer are investigating that incident. Jeff Pritts, a former Greensburg police officer, is the district’s police officer.

The incident at the high school comes on the heels of a series of posts on a team chat for Norwin eighth graders before the start of school that included several racist comments, according to a North Huntingdon resident who is the mother of a biracial daughter.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, provided screenshots of the chat to the Tribune-Review.

One post makes references to hanging Blacks.

Another post had a photo of a Ku Klux Klan member dressed in a white robe with text that included a racial epithet.

The woman said she contacted the Safe2Say Something youth violence prevention program run by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General said the office “is not permitted to share the nature of any tips received nor divulge who submitted the information.”