School Calls Foul, Suspends Students Over Farmer Flap

Its also a violation of their constitutional rights to Freedom of Speech

how odd that some people think "farmer" is an insult. Around here, farmers own hundreds of thousands of dollars of machinery, millioins of dollars worth of land and risk it all every year hoping to get just enough rain (not too much, not too little) to be able to meet the payments on all this stuff. So, some pink palmed softies want to wave "farmer clothes" in the face of these people? Better watch out when you leave, softies. you'll get taken behind the bus barn & whumped on till you cry like little children, which would be appropreiate, because that's what you are. Oh, ya, one other thing -- you're punks, too.

It is absolutely NOT a violation of anyone's constitutional rights! Too often people prove they have no idea what the constitution means when they throw out drivel like this. The constitution gives you the right to free speech without fear of reprisal from the government, but in no way does it prevent a private institution, in this case a Catholic school, from enforcing rules about dress code and/or behavior. You may disagree with the rule, but use your brain - it's competely unrelated to any constitutional issues.

No Bears fan would ever wear a chunk of cheddar on his head. Packer fans are proud to be called "cheeseheads".

The punishment was not enough! What you just read was kids not behaving and following instructions. These kids were mocking other individuals because of where they came from or for what they believed they were. This is a form of disscrimination. By allowing them to get away with it is teaching them that it is ok for them to hate others. Is this what you want your children to do? It is not teaching them to respect others. Why do you think there is so much hate in this world? This should be a small lesson to them, not only only about respect towards others, but in the future when you have to answer for your bad behavior or actions.

Mark:

I'm so glad to see that there is at least one other person on these boards that understands the purpose of the Constitution! :o) I'm so tired of hearing people whine about how a private institution violated their rights when, in fact, they did nothing of the sort.

That's all fine and dandy.
But....
When my school went to the state championship in football, we played against a predominatley Arabic school. I was mortified when my team began acting out camel riding in the end zone. I love sports AND good sportsmanship

Maybe so LS, but children need to learn good sportsmanship while they are young. At the age of 18 they can act like idiots, but at least they will know better.

Mark has it pegged. Most people assume they know what rights they have and what rights they don't have, but the reality is that most just don't know... period. A perfect example of a misinterpretation or lack of understanding of the constitution is when people think that corporations have the constitutional right to exist. The reality is that corporations exist as entities of privilege, that is the say that states grant them the privilege to exist and that they (the states) can revoke that privilege at any time. In fact, there used to be a time in this country when corporations were routinely evaluated by the incorporating state to insure that they were acting in the best interest of the public, and if they failed the evaluation they were dissolved.What ever happened to those days?

In the first place it wasn't a law. In the second place this occurred at a religious school, not your local football stadium. In the third place students in a school setting have no free speech rights. What would have been nice is for you to have actually read the article and made an effort to understand it.

This is just another slap in the face with political correctness. This was all just part of the game, too make fun of the other side is part of it. Everyone has become so thinned skinned. When you live as a free people you have to learn tollerance. Not to allow abuse but to tollerate good natrued compititon as an out let for agresstion. Who did these kids hurt. No one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They taunted a sports team. So what. The other team knows they are more than than a stereo tipical view some one else has of them. At least that is what they should be taught. How do you teach a child to over come adversity if we cry harassment every time some one is taunts them about who they think they are. You have to teach a child to know who they are and give them a foundation of values to steer them thru life.

AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!!!

It's not a law.What makes them stand out is an overbearing head nun who's on a power trip.There's nothing offencive about dressing like a farmer.Private schools that contend that they are strict disiplinarians are and should be very suspect in this day in age and the stripping of one's rights are a red flag.
she should be fired .What ever happened to "kids will be kids"?

You don't get it, numbnuts - she specifically told the kids not to wear offensive clothes. THEY DISOBEYED HER. Has nothing to do with Freedom of Speech or any other excuse you want to make up. Schools and PARENTS are given a responsibility when they have children to bring them up in an honest, respectful, morally and ethic way. That's what you teach your children. If someone doesn't tell them NO - then that's what you have in our country now - a bunch of arrogant jerks who think they walk on water and can do anything they damn well please.

If they were suspended for dressing like farmers then the kids we played against at a volleyball tournament should have been suspended also. Our school mascot is the Indians and we come from a small country town, the opposing team dressed as cowboys and farmers but none of us were offended, we laughed and watched the two mascots stage a cowboys and indians "war".

People are too sensitive about what is okay and what isn't. They dresses up as a fun way to show school spirit, if that's a crime then every student in the country should be suspended. With everyone trying to be politically correct there's no more room for free speech anymore.

There was no "law" broken. Maybe a rule, policy, standard; anything but law. This is a school, not a government.
BUT, the ruling suspending the students was correct. They behaved in a disrepectful way that was forbidden and they were fore-warned. Saying it's ok to do because kids have always taunted the other team is even more stupid than breaking the rule. It's a sad state of our society when parents don't teach their children common decency and respect. You can have a rivalry without being crude and hateful.

It's not a 'stupid law'... it's common decency. Ridiculing, however long it's been around is wrong. You apparently participate in this cruel ritual or your reaction would not be in support of it. It's sad that a 'law' has to be written to keep people from having compassion and respect for one another. Competition is fun... and it should be just that, not riddled with cruel intentions of bringing down the others spirits. Anyone who believe this is okay, is simply wrong. Taunting and ridicule only brings negative results. Remember Columbine ?

We have a local school (4 miles from ours) that also implys we are farmers and "hicks". Our student body embraced the taunts and turned it in to a mockery of the other school. When we play them we all dress up in farmer attire and do the hoe down! We have the last laugh.