The teacher was initially in support of the design, but had apparently changed her mind a few days later.
The school then informed Norman that he would receive an F if he did not change his project. He refused to change it.
“I’m going to stand for what I think is right,” he said. “I was going to do what I planned. They can’t approve it and then say you gotta change it after I worked so long on it. It’s not fair to me, or anybody.”
Norman’s parents finally got involved, and told the school that Robert E. Lee was their third cousin. Norman’s project, therefore, was about heritage, not racism.
David Norman, his father, said: “We were on the second ship from England that came to America, so my bloodline goes way back when America first started. I’m not a racist, the furthest thing from it. My son’s not a racist.”
Norman was finally allowed to display his artwork.
The Accomack County Public School has yet to comment on the matter.
