Posted on 12/22/2006 5:25:54 AM PST by wintertime
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and the Portsmouth School Committee have asked the state's education commissioner to weigh in on whether high school student Patrick Agin's medieval-style portrait can be published in the school yearbook.
The ACLU sued the School Committee last week on behalf of Agin, a senior at Portsmouth High School, and his mother, Heidi Farrington, after Principal Robert Littlefield banned Agin's photo from the yearbook. In his senior portrait, Agin, a member of the Society of Creative Anachronism, is wearing a chain mail coat and holding a prop broadsword.
With a Feb. 28 deadline for publishing the yearbook - later than the Dec. 18 date school officials had cited previously - the ACLU has agreed to withdraw its motion for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the school from printing the yearbook without Agin's photo.
(Excerpt) Read more at newportdailynews.com ...
The government school can not respect competing and opposite values. It can not both print the photo of the student with the broadsword, and at the same time uphold the values of the parents and students who do not want weapons promoted in their school publications.
If this were a private school, there would be no issue with an impossible resolution. The parents and students, prior to matriculating, would agree to the private school's police regarding free speech and weapons.
Ah,,,,,But government schools are not voluntary for many. The students are there by compulsion. This means armed police, court, and foster care action if they do not show up at their government assigned indoctrination center ( oops! "school"). Once there they will have their free speech rights violated. In this case, they will be subjected to culture that either forbids or promotes weapons by way of the yearbook.
As I have posted previously, government schools never were, are not now, and never will be values neutral. They will uphold the religious, cultural, and political values of some, and trash those of others.
Government schools also violate every First Amendment human rights. They suppress free speech, free press, free assembly, and free expression of religion. They also establish the religious beliefs of some and undermine those of others.
In fact, First Amendment Rights and government schools are utter incompatible, because if a school did allow First Amendment Rights chaos would reign. While private schools can consitutionally do this ( being private chosen), government schools are in violation of our human right to freedom of conscience.
I hate these rare cases where the ACLU is right.
Afterthought:
I just remembered that my high school yearbook was named "The Excalibur" after the famous legendary sword of King Arthur, and some photos showed students posing around a big rock with the sword stuck thru it. A different era.
and exactly what First Amendment "right(s)" do you mean ?
so there can be no confusion, here it is in its entirety:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
If he wants to look lika a Tard in his year book---who cares?
Back up a couple months to the day he showed up at school wearing such garb. That in itself is a violation of the school dress code which he and his parents should have signed the first day of school. He should have been sent to the principal's office, his parents called, and come back to school in proper attire leaving his play toys at home where they belong.
I'm all in favor of trampling on the "rights" and "values" of the hoplophobic morons who are opposed to pictures of weapons in their school yearbook.
They were born to be victims, anyway.
Out of curiosity, do you have any idea what you are talking about?
I disagree. The yearbook is not the personal plaything of an individual student, it's a book for the entire school, and the school has a right to censor what goes into the book so it can be enjoyed by all the members.
Otherwise, we always end up allowing the one insensitive boor to ruin everything for everybody.
There is no "free speech" argument to be made regarding how you are dressed in your yearbook photo. The boy is free to publish a book with his pictures in it, and sell or give it away to all the students. The SCHOOL is publishing the yearbook and has creative control.
I'd grant just a LITTLE more leeway for WORDS if the school was silly enough to give each student "freedom" to write their own blurb.
Possessing a severed head or advocating racial hatred is not analogous to some dork in high school who likes to play dress-up. Good try though...(the effect is better if you roll your eyes)
I guess his coat of arms didn't include a cross, or else the ACLU would be backing the school.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Government schools herd children into its centers ( kiddie prisons) and then, like prisoners strictly monitors and controls freedom of association.
Government schools tell children to shut up for large parts of the day.
Government schools tightly control what can be published.
Government schools do not allow free expression of religion for most ( or all) of the prison day.
Government schools can not be religiously, culturally, or politically neutral, and therefore establish the religious belief of some and undermine that of others.
And,,,unless teachers are using school buses to transport children to their favored political rallies, children are forbidden to assemble and petition the government.
Just off the top of my head (no pun intended, CAIR) I'm going back to my HS days.
In one book alone we had the Rho Sigma (Riot Squad) lined up in a "69" on the football field, a guy getting his head lopped off in a mock medieval execution, a girl dressed up in a Playboy bunny suit (and damn she was hot).
And oh yeah--the next year the SCA geeks were featured on their own page, including the teacher who sponsored the group.
Sounds like a school somewhere needs to lighten the hell up.
Several USSC decisions have determined that schools may restrict First Amendment rights under certain circumstances, i.e., to prevent a break-down in discipline, etc. I can see an argument in favor of this applying to a school publication as well.
Welcome to the age of Zero Tolerance.
Where blind obedience to the Rules is more important than critical thinking, or even common sense.
and what part of the First Amendment do you claim is being violated.......I had hoped you would simply cite it, since I provided it for you. But I didn't think you could or would. As your "response" shows, you cannot and therefore will not even make the attempt--instead you go on and on with what is commonly referred to as "artful pleading", which is another way to describe a frivolous presentation.
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