School T-shirts - rights for some

cnredd · #1 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 04:00 PM

Just read the two stories...

Federal Judge Rules That Students Can’t Be Barred From Expressing Support for Gay People

Quote:

After a two-day trial in which a Florida high school principal testified that he believed clothing or stickers featuring rainbows would make students automatically picture gay people having sex, a federal judge today ruled that the school violated students’ First Amendment rights of students. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a junior at the school who had been forbidden by her principal to wear any sort of clothing, stickers, buttons, or symbols to show her support of equal rights for gay people.

“Standing up to my school was really hard to do, but I’m so happy that I did because the First Amendment is a big deal to everyone,” said Heather Gillman, a junior at Ponce de Leon High School and the plaintiff in the case.

Judge Richard Smoak of the United States District Court, Northern District of Florida, Panama City Division, issued an order that forces the school to stop its unconstitutional censorship of students who want to express their support for the fair and equal treatment of gay people. The judge also warned the district not to retaliate against students over the lawsuit.

“I am very pleased with the judge’s ruling to uphold the students’ right to express their views on eliminating discrimination from the educational landscape,” said Benjamin James Stevenson, a staff attorney with the Northwest Florida Regional Office of the ACLU of Florida in Pensacola. “This whole experience has been an important civics lesson about freedom of speech and the Bill of Rights.”

The case came about after Heather Gillman and other students approached the ACLU about an atmosphere in which students say they were routinely intimidated by school officials for things like writing “gay pride” on their arms and notebooks or wearing rainbow-themed clothing. According to students, problems began in September of 2007 when a lesbian student tried to report to school officials that she was being harassed by other students because she is a lesbian.

Instead of addressing the harassment, students say the school responded with intimidation, censorship, and suspensions. That student testified on Monday, breaking down on the stand as she described the school’s indifference to the harassment she experienced.

During the trial, which was held in Panama City yesterday and today, Ponce de Leon High School’s principal David Davis admitted under oath that he had banned students from wearing any clothing or symbols supporting equal rights for gay people. Davis also testified that he believed rainbows were “sexually suggestive” and would make students unable to study because they’d be picturing gay sex acts in their mind. The principal went on to admit that while censoring rainbows and gay pride messages he allowed students to wear other symbols many find controversial, such as the Confederate flag.

“Freedom of speech for every person and every idea is one of the bedrock principles on which America was founded,” said Christine Sun, a staff attorney with the ACLU national Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project. “Censorship reflects a deep lack of faith in the American system, and it teaches students exactly the wrong lesson on what America is about. We are thrilled that the court in this case made the importance of students’ First Amendment rights so completely clear.”

"So far, so good!" you say?...Read on...

Pro-Life Student Forced to Remove Abortion T-Shirt

Quote:

My name is Helena Yoest, and I was harassed by the principal of my school because of a shirt.

Ok, so I went to class, just like a regular school day, I had the shirt on, no one was offended or anything by it.

Then my teacher- Mr. Young- says “Mrs. Schaffner wants to see you”

I walk over to her in the hall, she was talking to some other teachers with one or two students flocking around her.

She stops talking when she sees me, pulls me over to a corner, and says plainly

“you can’t wear the shirt”

Wow. 5 minutes into the day and I’ve been caught in this t-shirt. (say sarcastically) Shoot.

say very politely “may I go get something from my locker?”

Mrs.Shaffner says, “eh, yes”

So I go down to my locker to get a piece of paper, it’s a magical piece of paper that gets me out of trouble.

From the American Life League.

Actually, it states my civil rights and how I CAN wear the shirt, no harassment.

I hand over the letter and she hands me a t-shirt with the school name on it. Oh joy.

So I head to the bathroom to change and I hear her say, “were going to have to visit the principal about this.”

So there I am, in the principal’s office. Mrs. Annan (the principal) reads the letter Mrs. Shaffner is babbling about how they’ve never had this happen before, while Mrs. Annan is reading.

Mrs. Shaffner gets called away to do vice principal stuff and

Mrs. Annan pulls up a chair to sit beside me. “How do you know about this political issue?” she asks. “My mom” I say.

“What would you think if a kindergartner went up to you and asked you what it is?” she says pointing at my shirt.

“I would say ‘it’s where doctors and hospitals kill babies’”

You should’ve seen her face when I said that. “I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

She leads me to a bathroom “you can turn it inside out, or you can change, whichever you want” so I change into this ew yucky t-shirt with the school name on it, so they would be happy and quit bothering me.

Dontchya just love selective freedom?...

crazyflamingos · #2 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 04:16 PM

I'm sorry but I don't see high school students wearing rainbows versus elementary school students wearing pictures of fetuses as the same issue.

If the shirt had not featured the fetus pictures then I would say the child's rights were violated. But I see such pictures as potentially creating some serious problems in an elementary school setting.

dga · #3 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnredd

During the trial, which was held in Panama City yesterday and today, Ponce de Leon High School’s principal David Davis admitted under oath that he had banned students from wearing any clothing or symbols supporting equal rights for gay people. Davis also testified that he believed rainbows were “sexually suggestive” and would make students unable to study because they’d be picturing gay sex acts in their mind. The principal went on to admit that while censoring rainbows and gay pride messages he allowed students to wear other symbols many find controversial, such as the Confederate flag.

(

This statement on its own, particularly coming from an educator, is disturbing,

Kinda makes me wonder when I should remove the My Little Ponies and the Care Bears from my daughter's room,

The two cases can't be compared because the first went to trial. If the t-shirt girl took the school to trial for clamping down on her civil liberties, she might end up with the same result, i.e. a judgement in her favor.

foundit66 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 05:36 PM

You gotta love how quickly "standards" bounce back and forth on different cases.

From some people on some issues, you'll hear statements of "It's a learning institution, not an indoctrination warehouse" or "I don't want my kids to be learning that issue from ...". Or the beloved "Why must we sexualize our kids at such a young age?".
Or even "Why can't we let kids just be kids?"

But then flip to a different issue, and suddenly it becomes an issue of "civil rights". And suddenly, what is shown in an elementary school can suddenly be very graphic... A "parents' right" to not have the child learn about a certain topic until an age that the parent finds "suitable" can be something entirely different, or non-existent....

Personally, I'm not sure what to think of the t-shirt.
I think the students should have some right to individual expression. "Age Suitable" being a necessary boundary6.
On another level, I can't help but wonder what grade this girl is in. The main concern being the graphic nature of the picture of the fetus. (And that goes for somebody who wants to wear a picture of what their future brother/sister will look like to, independent of the "abortion" issue.)

Regardless, I guess I can be assured that any phrases like "Why can't we let kids just be kids?" that aren't heard from people on this subject will also be absent from the same people on OTHER subjects as well?

Likewise, I guess I can rest assured that those people who support the above will have no difficulty supporting other, less graphic symbols...
(

I'm not going to hold my breath.)

crazyflamingos · #5 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foundit66

On another level, I can't help but wonder what grade this girl is in. The main concern being the graphic nature of the picture of the fetus. (And that goes for somebody who wants to wear a picture of what their future brother/sister will look like to, independent of the "abortion" issue.

She was in the fifth grade.

Quote:

The principal of an elementary school, pressured and manipulated a 5th grade student to do her wills.

And evidently in a school which included grades down to kindergarten.

Quote:

“What would you think if a kindergartner went up to you and asked you what it is?” she says pointing at my shirt.
Reasoned Audacity

Which is why I think this is not so much an issue of free speech as of determining what is age appropriate material.

Spencer Collins · #6 (**permalink**) 05-15-2008, 06:57 PM

I guess I cannot relate to this issue. I had a private education,all the kids were required to wear the uniform of the day. Girls wore uniforms and the Guys wore blue shirts,black ties and black pants.At the time,we did not see the wisdom in the dress code but it makes perfect sense to me now..

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