Zach LarkinsTIGGER
This is an odd one. It seems a school in California is being sued by the ACLU for suspending a girl for wearing socks with the Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, character on them. The girl, Toni Kay Scott, 14, has also hired a law firm to represent her for being sent to an in-school suspension program called Students With Attitude Problems last year for violating a dress code.
Okay, she was sent here for violating a dress code. The article, written by CanWest News, carries the headline, "U.S. School Sued Over Tigger Socks". The school in question is the Redwood Middle School, located in the Napa Valley Unified School District, which is also being sued. The leading sentence of the article states, "A California Grade 7 student might end up in court for wearing Winnie the Pooh socks to school." And that seems to end the involvement of the socks. It appears nowhere else in the article except for this: "She had donned socks with the Tigger character from the Winnie the Pooh cartoons on them, along with a denim skirt and a brown shirt with a pink border."
The ACLU and Scott's lawyer, Sharon O'Grady, say that the dress code is unconstitutionally vague and too restrictive. It apparently goes too far and forces aesthetic conformity in the name of safety. It also violates the California Education Code according to O'Grady. Scott says, "We should be able to show everyone who we are and have a way to express ourselves, as long as we aren't showing off things that shouldn't be shown off at school."
Now, I'm no expert on constitutional law, but never in all my days have I heard mention that it is a constitutional right to wear whatever you please to school. Some schools have dress codes, others do not. Some schools require uniforms to be worn. Scott is in a school that has a dress code and I think she was aware of it. She chose to disregard it. She cries about individuality, but that is nonsense. Even if you have to wear a uniform, you can alter it enough to make a statement about who you are. Don't ever underestimate teenagers. They will find subtle, innovative ways of carrying this out.
Perhaps having a dress code keeps those who cannot afford $300.00 Nikes from being ridiculed by those who can. That's not a bad thing. I went through it with my kids and told them, when they got a job, they could buy whatever shoes they wanted. As long as I was footing the bill, so to speak, they would wear what I could afford, or they could go barefoot. I thought I was being rather generous in giving them a choice.
This whole thing boils down to what the school accepts as proper attire. Which is: Clothes with solid colours in blue, white, green, yellow, khaki, grey, brown and black. (Nothing too harsh about that, there are plenty of choices) Permitted fabrics are cotton twill, corduroy and chino. No denim is allowed. Oops. No denim. And what did she wear? A denim skirt. Forget the Tigger socks. The denim did her in. It is not allowed. She flagrantly broke the rules and now she's the poor picked on student. Seems sending her to a program entitled "Students With Attitude Problems" was right on the money.
The change in US law to eliminate frivolous lawsuits can't be passed soon enough.
Sources: U.S. School Sued CanWest News
Okay, she was sent here for violating a dress code. The article, written by CanWest News, carries the headline, "U.S. School Sued Over Tigger Socks". The school in question is the Redwood Middle School, located in the Napa Valley Unified School District, which is also being sued. The leading sentence of the article states, "A California Grade 7 student might end up in court for wearing Winnie the Pooh socks to school." And that seems to end the involvement of the socks. It appears nowhere else in the article except for this: "She had donned socks with the Tigger character from the Winnie the Pooh cartoons on them, along with a denim skirt and a brown shirt with a pink border."
The ACLU and Scott's lawyer, Sharon O'Grady, say that the dress code is unconstitutionally vague and too restrictive. It apparently goes too far and forces aesthetic conformity in the name of safety. It also violates the California Education Code according to O'Grady. Scott says, "We should be able to show everyone who we are and have a way to express ourselves, as long as we aren't showing off things that shouldn't be shown off at school."
Now, I'm no expert on constitutional law, but never in all my days have I heard mention that it is a constitutional right to wear whatever you please to school. Some schools have dress codes, others do not. Some schools require uniforms to be worn. Scott is in a school that has a dress code and I think she was aware of it. She chose to disregard it. She cries about individuality, but that is nonsense. Even if you have to wear a uniform, you can alter it enough to make a statement about who you are. Don't ever underestimate teenagers. They will find subtle, innovative ways of carrying this out.
Perhaps having a dress code keeps those who cannot afford $300.00 Nikes from being ridiculed by those who can. That's not a bad thing. I went through it with my kids and told them, when they got a job, they could buy whatever shoes they wanted. As long as I was footing the bill, so to speak, they would wear what I could afford, or they could go barefoot. I thought I was being rather generous in giving them a choice.
This whole thing boils down to what the school accepts as proper attire. Which is: Clothes with solid colours in blue, white, green, yellow, khaki, grey, brown and black. (Nothing too harsh about that, there are plenty of choices) Permitted fabrics are cotton twill, corduroy and chino. No denim is allowed. Oops. No denim. And what did she wear? A denim skirt. Forget the Tigger socks. The denim did her in. It is not allowed. She flagrantly broke the rules and now she's the poor picked on student. Seems sending her to a program entitled "Students With Attitude Problems" was right on the money.
The change in US law to eliminate frivolous lawsuits can't be passed soon enough.
Sources: U.S. School Sued CanWest News
Having seen the way some youngsters are dressing to go to school nowadays makes me more of a supporter of dress codes. I used to think they were ridiculous, but now they seem more necessary.
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Tales From The Green Lantern