Court rules N.J. student can wear 'redneck' T-shirt

Pocono Record ^ | 05 October 2002

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A rural New Jersey school district was wrong to suspend a high school student because he wore a T-shirt with redneck humor, a federal appeals court ruled.

In a 2-1 decision issued Thursday, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the ban by the Warren Hills Regional School District was unconstitutional because there had been no previous problems involving the T-shirt at the school near the Pennsylvania border.

The district adopted an anti-harassment and intimidation policy last year after several months of racial tension at the high school. The policy most notably banned the display of the Confederate flag on school grounds or at school events.

However, the court ruled the district overstepped its bounds when it banned the T-shirt because it contained the word "redneck."

"Defendants have not, on this record, established that the shirt might genuinely threaten disruption or, indeed, that it violated any of the particular provisions of the harassment policy," the court wrote.

Thomas Sypniewski Jr., 19, challenged the ban after he was suspended for three days and lost parking privileges at the school for wearing the shirt that bore comedian Jeff Foxworthy's "Top 10 Reasons You Might Be a Redneck Sports Fan."

Sypniewski, 19, said he was happy with the ruling but declined further comment. He graduated from the school last year.

His attorney, Gerald Walpin, said the decision means the Warren County district will have to rewrite its anti-harrassment policy.

"I think this is a victory for the First Amendment," Walpin told The Express-Times of Easton, for Friday's editions.

James Broscious, the district's attorney, said the ruling puts school officials in a tough position.

"You have to wait until something happens then deal with it," Broscious said. "When you're in a school setting you can't wait."

 

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[Arkinsaw]

"You have to wait until something happens then deal with it," Broscious said. "When you're in a school setting you can't wait."

It's hard for thought police to wait for things.

[Fighter@heart]

I suppose Richard Pryor felt above other blacks when he did comedy about blacks (using the "N" word)from incidents from his life, which was rather sad. He overcame his situation through comedy. Hell he made fun of everybody, and left everybody laughing hysterically in the aisles! He was not a bigot just a comedian and a damn good one. His motto was if ya can't laugh at yourself...you don't DESERVE to laugh at anybody else!! This "Redneck" T-shirt crap is really ridiculous, I mean how many rednecks are jumping up and asking "Hey Vern, are they making fun of us!!??" A classic case of Politically correct over-reaction to a non-issue. I remember a couple of years ago folks wearing the little rascals "Buckwheat" T-shirts, if you were black it was cool, if you were white you were a rascist, Go figure!!

[MortMan]

If Jeff Foxworthy were setting himself above other rednecks, why would a large part of his act be about his own family?

Further, Jeff is from Georgia. Tying him to IBM is disingenuous, as most people consider IBM a "northern" company.

Finally, He's done the country a service, IMO, by pointing out how ridiculous the redneck stereotype really is.

[sharktrager]

Actually, the correct title should be "...could have worn redneck t-shirt".

Unfortunately, the kid graduated already.