I am concerned about the Confederate battle flag being flown in our public schools. I was born and raised in Lexington, Va., and am very proud of my Southern roots.

However, aren’t we losing sight of our heritage by displaying this flag in a public school, because we are focusing too much on what it means to us and not to others? We have to face the fact that many hate groups within the United States, most of which advocate white supremacy, have utilized this flag. I raise my children to be proud of their Southern heritage, but also to be empathetic and compassionate towards others.

As far as the First Amendment goes, fly this flag at your home. The setting that is being debated is a public school system operated by public funds. In the majority of court cases, the ban of this flag in a public school system has been upheld.