Court upholds school uniforms
Categories: Teens & tweens, In the news, Education, Kid decor & style
Kimberly Jacobs went to school in a shirt bearing symbols of her religious beliefs. Actually, she did it several times -- enough to be suspended five times. Jacobs attended Liberty High School near Las Vegas, Nevada which requires that students wear khaki-colored pants and a solid-colored shirt in either red, white, or blue.Jacobs felt that her freedom of expression was being infringed upon and the ACLU agreed. The civil liberties organization took her case to court but the federal appeals court found that the school's uniform policy did not infringe upon freedom of religion or expression. The ACLU plans to request a rehearing of the case.
"This has implications not only for schools but for all sorts of free speech. Wearing a message on clothing is like the armband in 'Tinker,'" said Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the ACLU in Las Vegas. "Tinker" refers to the 1969 case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District in which the Supreme Court ruled that wearing an armband to protest the Vietnam War was constitutionally protected speech. "What this decision essentially did is overturn 'Tinker' and precedent," Lichtenstein added.
I'm not sure I agree that this ruling conflicts directly with Tinker, but then, I'm no lawyer. I'm also not a huge fan of school uniforms, although it seems the one in question is fairly benign. On the other hand, it does seem to me that we need our young people to stir things up and protest the status quo.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Meagan 5-13-2008 @ 11:55AM
"On the other hand, it does seem to me that we need our young people to stir things up and protest the status quo."
Isn't part of protesting the status quo getting in trouble for it? If you don't get in trouble for it, is it really the status quo?
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Karen 5-13-2008 @ 12:02PM
I don't know that schools are the proper place for children to be stirring things up. College is another area entirely, but we can't complain on the one hand that schools are not teaching our children and then encourage them to be disruptive and stir the pot on the other.
I adore uniforms. I would have hated them as a child, but as a teacher, parent, and now substitute teacher, I only have positive things to say about requiring children to wear uniforms. I've had both the traditional polyester/plaid type and the type that is really a strict dress code (khaki or navy bottoms/ solid color collared shirt).
The student in question could have worn a wristband, a bracelet, even written on the outside of her notebook, but it is not necessary for her to violate dress code to express her religious beliefs (or any other expression).
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CLM 5-13-2008 @ 3:57PM
I wore uniforms and didn't care one bit. It made things much easier for me in the morning. If I wanted someone to know what my beliefs were, I could wear a pin, a necklace, put something on my bag, etc. Or maybe I could just freaking say what I believed. I don't mean to sound overly harsh, but this girl's rights were not infringed - she's either lazy or lacks imagination.
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DPearson 5-13-2008 @ 6:13PM
This is complete and utter nonsense. The school has a dress code - like thousands of other schools accross the country. If she doesn't like participating int he dress code, she should talk with her parents. If they don't like it they can enroll her in another school.
The whole idea of kids having a freedom of speech that trumps the steps being taken by a school to create a neutral educational environment is rediculous.
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Sherry 5-13-2008 @ 11:32PM
Did I read that right? She has done this and been suspended five times? Sounds to me like she is just making trouble for the sake of making trouble and is using the religious expression angle to get support and attention for herself.
And Karen makes a very good point about how teachers can't teach if they are spending all their time dealing with disruptions like this. Are kids at school to learn or to "protest the status quo?"
My kids wear uniforms to school. Aside from the price of them, I love it for many different reasons.
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