From the article:

"Principal Cupp also said shoving and exchange of words among the students was minimal because staff broke it up within minutes. He said no weapons were found. But later in the morning, the school was put through a lockdown drill with students kept in class after rumors of other students bringing Confederate battle flags surfaced.

"We just did that as a precautionary situation to help maintain and control what could have been a bad situation," said Cupp.

He said all three students involved were suspended for the disruption which had nothing to do with Freedom of Speech.

"When you become a distraction where students can't learn because of a distraction then that needs to be removed," said Cupp."