Authorities say a student moved a car off a Des Moines high school campus rather than remove a Confederate flag from it as requested by school officials.

Someone called East High School Thursday morning after noticing the flag in the student parking lot. Des Moines Public Schools spokeswoman Amanda Lewis says school staffers soon identified the student owner of the car and asked him to put away the flag. Lewis says the car was then driven out of the lot and parked elsewhere instead.

Lewis says the presence of Confederate flags at school last year prompted at least three incidents involving fights. She says the district supports the student's right to expression, but the district's first priority is ensuring school safety.