School district loses its (T-)shirt, must pay ex-student's legal fees in 'redneck' case

Star Ledger ^ | 06.20.06 | MIKE FRASSINELLI

[Coleus]

Disciplining a student for wearing a $5 T-shirt five years ago could end up costing the Warren Hills Regional School District close to $1 million. The Warren County district has been ordered to pay nearly $600,000 in plaintiffs' legal fees incurred during the 5-year-old free speech rights battle over whether a high school student could wear his "redneck" T-shirt. That tally does not include the amount the district has paid its own lawyers.

Thomas Sypniewski Jr. was suspended for three days during his senior year in 2001 for wearing a T-shirt that listed blue-collar comedian Jeff Foxworthy's Top 10 reasons someone might be considered a redneck sports fan (Reason No. 4: Your bowling team has its own fight song). District officials said the T-shirt violated the high school's anti-harassment policy, enforced in the wake of racial incidents in which students referring to themselves as "Hicks" and "Rednecks" harassed black students.

Sypniewski, now 23, dropped his lawsuit against the district last month, saying he was working as a union carpenter and had moved on with his life. He maintained, however, that he wore the shirt simply because he thought it was funny. Foxworthy, whose catch phrase is, "You might be a redneck if ... ," makes fun of his roots in the rural South with references to tattoo parlors that have financing plans and to a friend who brought beer to a job interview. The $5 T-shirt stirred a national debate over free speech rights, as First Amendment experts and Foxworthy himself weighed in on the topic. And now the garment has gotten exponentially more expensive. U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni has determined Warren Hills was responsible for $574,245 in legal fees incurred by Sypniewski's family to fight the suspension and school ruling.

[Coleus]

Appeals court hears 'redneck' T-shirt case

Court rules NJ student can wear 'redneck' T-shirt

Daily Local News - News - 11/14/2004 - Racism or freedom of Speech?

[JamesP81]

Good.

[SuziQ]

Maybe that will be a lesson to schools not to be so dang SENSITIVE about t-shirts. If no one has complained about the shirt, leave it alone! And If they DO complain, go very slowly on the matter; you might just have a ninny-nanny on your hands.

[JamesP81]

Nothing warms my black little heart like a bunch of school board control-freak fascists getting a boot in their posterior.

[American Quilter]

I love Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be a Redneck" series. The first time I heard him was in the car on the way to work, and I laughed so hard I nearly went off the road. My favorite is "If you go to a family reunion to meet women, you might be a redneck."

[BykrBayb]

"If you've ever had to climb to the top of a water tower with a can of spray paint to defend your sister's honor..."

[SouthTexas]

Git-R-done!

[American Quilter]

LOL!

[digger48]

Why did the Family have to foot the bill. Where was the Federally subsidized ACLU??? to fight this battle?

[RightField]

This should be a fun thread for a Friday ...

[AntiGovernment]

This is insane. Are they really going to suspend a student over a T-Shirt about rednecks?

[umgud]

This is insane. Are they really going to suspend a student over a T-Shirt about rednecks?

They already did.

[Freedom4US]

Seems to me there was a precedent, back in the 1960's during the beginnings of the "antiwar" movement. A few Des Moines, Iowa students wore black armbands to school. I guess the message is, kids can wear whatever they want, as long as the message is "politically correct" i.e. leftist in nature.

[umgud]

It's sad, but you are correct.

[3niner]

"If your richest relative invites you over to help him take the wheels off his new home..."

[BykrBayb]

If you mow the grass, and find more than three cars.

[barker]

"If you've ever used a shotgun to unclog the kitchen sink"

[wintertime]

The $5 T-shirt stirred a national debate over free speech rights, as First Amendment experts and Foxworthy himself weighed in on the topic

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

First Amendment Rights and government schools are fundamentally conflicted. Why?

1) The government school ( and all schools ) MUST restrict free speech, free press, free assembly, and free expression of religion. If they don't, the school becomes chaotic. Therefore, government has a choice. It can run chaotic and unsafe schools or it can trample First Amendment Rights.

2) The education of children is fundamentally the transfer of the collected wisdom of the society. That wisdom has PROFOUND political, cultural, and moral and ethical ( religious) consequences and content. Those consequences and content are NEVER neutral. So...government has a choice. It can open buildings and teach nothing at all, or it can support and ESTABLISH the politics, culture, and religion of some while actively,deliberately and maliciously destroy those of others.

3)Finally, government schools are a price-fixed monopoly. They are giving a product away for free. This is a hostile business climate for the creation of private alternatives. The cost of government schools is MORE than $11,000 per government schooled K-12 child per year. This stresses many families with taxes driving both mother and father into the work force. Then when private schools are scarce, and neither parent can homeschool, the government then threatens the children and parents with armed police, court, and foster care if they refuse to send their child to the NON-NEUTRAL government indoctrination camp. This is a GROSS violation of freedom of assembly. Once in the government school the children are told to shut, not to publish, not to freely assemble and forbidden to express their religion FOR NEARLY ALL of their time in the government clutches.

Government schools are an abomination and unconstitutional. We must begin the process of privatizing universal K-12 education IMMEDIATELY!

The following is an excellent article explain why government schools are unconstitutional on a state or federal level:
http://www.newswithviews.com/Stuter/stuter9.htm

[wintertime]

Once in the government school the children are told to shut,
&&&&&

The above should read "shut-up".

[Redcloak]

"If you've ever been too drunk to fish..."