The American Center for Law and Justice filed a law suit against Oneida Middle School. 13 year old, Raymond Hosier was suspended twice by violating a dress code policy. Oneida MS does not allow students to wear "gang related clothing."
Raymond wore a rosary to school and was suspended for a week after he refused to take it off or wear it under his shirt. He wore the rosary in memory of his brother who passed away holding it in a bicycle accident. Raymond returned to school wearing the rosary after his first suspension, and the school suspended him a second time. When the American Center for Law and Justice heard about this violation of civil rights and Freedom of Religion, they filed a law suit. A New York Federal Judge reinstated Raymond back to school until the hearing on June 11.
I'm alittle torn here. On one hand I believe that if the school policy states students can not wear gang related clothing such as........and listed exactly what can not be worn, then they had the right to suspend Raymond Hosier. If they did not have it in their dress code policy, they will have to revise it. They are going to have to be very specific!
On the other hand, I understand the reason he wants to wear the rosary. His brother passed away and that is the closest thing he has. You think, why should i have to hide it?
Teens are going to rebel, especially if there are emotional ties. If the school had "rosary" stated in the dress code policy, he has a right to be suspended....because he could still wear it under his shirt, or in his pocket. He is still wearing it. I also think that schools, at least in my district, are quick to suspend. Maybe if the parent was aware that the school would suspend him a second time, she could have called the school and scheduled an appointment with the principal. Explaining how the death is affecting her son and wearing the rosary helps, may have prevented the second suspension.
I didn't comment on Freedom of Religion because although I believe in the right to your own religion...as a Catholic i was always taught you don't wear a rosary as jewelry...lol.... (that is probably old school - because now it is fashionable.)
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I agree that having a specific policy that is updated frequently is important in this situation. If the policy is not specific, then students will not have notice of what is and is not acceptable dress.
ReplyDeleteAnother recent incident like this involved a group of boys who were suspended for wearing shirts with the American flag on them on Cinco de Mayo at a school with a significant Mexican population. The principal claimed it was disrespectful to wear the American flag on the Mexican holiday. I think that's a tough situation. On one hand, the school shouldn't suspend the boys just because their message was offensive, but at the same time you know the boys wore the shirts just to start trouble.
Yeah, it is a tough situation (even with the t-shirts on Cinco de Mayo)....that is why I am torn, between whether it is right or wrong. Its like everything has to be very specific, in black and white.
ReplyDeleteDress code is one of aspects I HATE to deal with as a teacher. In the situations above, I can see both sides and would agree that the school would have to be very detailed in their policies.
ReplyDeleteThere was a situation in my school where a student wore an "I like boobies" bracelet. The students said she was wearing it is support of breast cancer awareness, but is that phrase appropriate in a school?
I am all for the freedom of expression but I also like dress codes in schools. To me it helps to avoid some of the distractions that clothing can bring, but they need to be spelled out specifically and explained so that the parents and students understand the reasoning behind them. My first grader recently was in need of new shoes, being the diligent father I ran to the store late at night so he would have new shoes for school the next day. I found some great Iron Man shoes that I knew he would love; when I got home, my wife told me that he is not allowed to have shoes with characters on them. The next morning my son saw the shoes and was excited, he loved them because he loves Iron Man and they would allow him to express this to his friends and teachers. His excitement quickly faded as I told him he could not have them and explained that they are not allowed at school. His response, “But other kids in my class have shoes with pictures and they don’t get in trouble.” I had to explain the importance of following the rules even if others are not and that there was a reason for the rule (even if I don’t understand myself). In the case with the rosary, if the code does not say ‘religious articles’ or something to the effect the boy should be allowed to wear it. Also, when did the Catholic Church become a gang?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if a child wearing a cross necklace or star of David would have also been disciplined. I'm not all that up on gang symbols but are rosaries a common symbol used with gangs?
ReplyDeleteI have a hard time with the suspension of students for wearing the flag too. It all boils down to intent I guess. I mean they are boys it could have been the last clean shirt they had or it could have been a political statement. But if they were being peaceful about their position there may have been no need to remove them. Seems to ake the case for uniforms.
After reading this blog and the comments, I really wanted to find out more about rosaries as gang symbols. Apparently, this wasn't the first instance where a student was suspended for wearing a rosary. You can read more at:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23400816/
In this story, two students were suspended for wearing rosaries in Oregon schools. Two interesting comments are,
"Albany police say fellow officers in Salem and Hillsboro have been contending with crucifixes and rosaries as gang markers for the past several years."
and
"We're not trying to squash any religious symbols and we're not trying to get into religion, but we are trying to get into student safety, and that's what we're really concerned about," Haggart said.
Leah
Looks like rosaries are used on occasion as gang symbols. I would think the explicit mention of them in the dress code as something gang-related is evidence of that. I'm pretty sure this isn't about anti-Catholicism. The problem here is that one kid could reasonably wear a rosary as a remembrance of their dead brother and another as a gang symbol and another just because they have bad taste, but it's not always easy to discern the intent. When the principal asks, none of them are going to say, "It's my gang symbol."
ReplyDeleteThe sensible way to keep the gang stuff out is to apply the rule consistently. This is why the American flag shirt thing is different: it's not on the list. Any given student may or may not be wearing the shirt to antagonize Hispanics, but how are you going to tell the jerks from the patriots?
I didn't realize that rosaries were gang symbols. My answer would be would be to wear the rosary or crucifix, but keep inside the shirt where it isn't visible. My youngest daughter loved hats, when she was about 5 my grandmother gave her all of her hats, she then began collecting old hats. When my girls were young I made many of their clothes and frequently I made matching hats to go with sundresses. You know what is coming, my daughter came home with a note that she was not permitted to wear hats to school. It was very hard to explain to an 8 year old her pretty sun hat was not allowed because of rules and all headwear.
ReplyDeleteSometimes find the extremes that we have to go to in schools very frustrating. I know I am showing my age, but I miss the days when the worst thing teachers had to deal with was gum chewing ing class.
I agree. Its ashame the way society as a whole is changing, and as a result many innocent people are not allowed to express themselves freely at school. Students seem to have to worry more about what to wear to school, rather than the actual curriculum. I understand that schools have to set dress codes, and believe in dress codes. But it seems there are always going to be students trying to cross the line and push buttons.
ReplyDeleteThis is really going to date me, but I remember when my school would not let guys wear earrings. I think it was challenged and may have actually gone up to the state supreme court. I wish I could remember the outcome, but believe that it went back to the school's dress codes.
ReplyDeleteGang colors/symbols are serious business, but dictating dress code by what gangs are wearing seems to be, in itself, a form of censorship.
What a fascinating conversation…Public schools are under so much pressure to improve test scores and are liable for student safety. Right, now and until I hear a better argument, I think uniforms and dress codes are a good thing. Teams wear uniforms, and many companies require employees to wear uniforms. Certain types of dress are required for nice restaurants. Many people state type of dress on invitations. Aren’t we trying to prepare students to be successful in the future? Students should be encouraged to express themselves freely on their own time.
ReplyDeleteI understand it seems petty and like a huge waste of time to enforce dress codes, but kids need educators to hold them to a higher standard than the rest of the world. A free public education is not babysitting. Some parents can’t say NO to their kids. Let the schools do it.