Hays Rebels logo

TexasHSFootball.com is a partner of USA TODAY High School Sports

Hays CISD sent a letter Tuesday morning informing parents, students and staff of Jack C. Hays High School in Buda, Texas that the song “Dixie” will no longer be played at school sponsored events.

The decision was made as part of an effort to remove negative perceptions of the school.

District officials said in a statement that any change made to the mascot known as Colonel Jack, “belongs to the current and future students. Any consideration of making a mascot change would need to originate as an organized student-led initiative.”

RELATED: For more Texas High School Football coverage, visit TexasHSFootball.com

Of note, the Texas State Historical Association cited John Coffee “Jack” Hays, the namesake of the county and school, held a neutral position during the Civil War. He is known for his heroics as a Texas Ranger.

But Hays High School’s concordance with Confederate tradition has been an issue before. In 2000, the school banned the use of the Confederate flag as an official school symbol and in 2012 eradicated its display entirely.

“The district believes removing the confederate flag and “Dixie” divorces all symbols of the confederacy from the campus and returns the school to its original starting-point – a rebel culture free from historically negative associations.” — Excerpt from statement released by Hays CISD officials

Recent events including the shooting at a Charleston, S.C., church last month have caused a national debate regarding the appropriateness of displaying items linked to the Confederacy.

Richland High School in Fort Worth has received national attention after critics asked for the removal of its Rebel mascot for its relationship to the slavery South.

In a statement, Hays CISD officials said, “The confederate flag and the song ‘Dixie’ were not part of the original Hays High School brand.”

“Hays CISD belongs to the people of the district,” it continued, and it’s a district that has grown from 1,000 students since its beginning in 1968 to nearly 20,000. “Today, there are many in the district who see ‘Dixie’ and the confederate flag as hurtful and hateful. And, it is the growing, prevailing sentiment across the nation.”

Follow TexasHSFootball.com on Twitter: @texashsfootball