Posted on 05/11/2005 2:11:51 PM PDT by EnigmaticAnomaly
(CNSNews.com) - A junior at Fillmore Central High School near Buffalo, N.Y., has filed a federal lawsuit against his school district for ordering him to remove his pro-life T-shirt in violation of his free-speech rights. The Thomas More Law Center, a Michigan-based public interest law firm, and the American Catholic Lawyers Association are representing the student, Kevin Dibble, who was told by the school principal that the message on his T-shirt was offensive and therefore prohibited. The T-shirt read, "Abortion is Homicide. You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop killing my generation. Rock for Life." Dibble said he had worn the same shirt to school several times before he was stopped - and suspended for refusing to remove it. "This is another example of a school taking sides in the abortion issue and attempting to silence a student's message because it disagrees with it," said Richard Thompson, chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center.
Moral degradation...
I am waiting for the chorus from other threads to line up and say "He must obey the school board. Learning to repect authority is the paramount issue in this matter."
Welcome to FR
absolutely. I have no problem with a school prohibiting shirts with provacative messages on them, since it can be a distraction. Heck, schools can even prohibit shirts with any writing on them at all. But these rules have to be enforced equally. Does this school allow kids to wear pro-abortion shirts? what about "straight but not narrow" shirts that are so in vogue right now? My hunch is that if this young man had worn the latter, this would not be an issue at all.
The spate of suits and countersuits in various locales should be proof that while kids have little trouble understanding a simple concept like "freedom of speech", they do not understand (and are most certainly not being taught) that with those freedoms come responsibility, including the responsibility to "hold your tongue" when it is appropriate.
Sigh... this is what the leftists have wrought -- all rights, no responsbility, all the time.
ping
I Have No Opinion On Anything Whatsoever
I'm sure any school higher-up would be okay with that. We can't have kids running amok at school with clothes that bear a message. Especially really offensive messages like the one this kid was sporting.
Turning off the sarcasm button now.
Holding my breath, waiting for the ACLU to jump on board....
Maybe
It really depends on what the school policy is; if it's applied consistently, etc. Schools are allowed to have dress codes. The official objection seems to be that is was 'offensive'. Offensive to who and why? It doesn't slander (or is it liabel) anyone. It's not promoting violence.
Meow
Ping
Won't be long now...
You must be kidding. Have you ever seen a "pro-abortion" shirt? What did it say? Why would anyone want to wear that type of shirt? Only the self-righteous "pro-lifers" have a lock on what should be done in other people's families. Can there be any more arrogant a position than if you do not agree with me, you must be pro-death?
Do they have to tell his parents that he got suspended? Or is that protection only for those GETTING Abortions?
I've seen many pro-abortion t-shirts worn in political demonstrations.
Two words -- School uniforms.
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Liberal opposition to them would take on the form of the obvious violations of "freedom of expression", plus the right to take the shoes off the feet of the rich simply because they have them and you don't.
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