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I take a different tack. The public school system poses an existential threat to our society in the long term. Therefore, actions that slow said school system down are worthwhile. Ideally, we would shutdown these government indoctrination centers. If publicly undercutting the school's authority moves us in that direction, then I've got no problem with it in principle.

Parents have bought into the "Dr. Spock" type child-psychology that says any effort to discipline their children probably harms their creativity, individualism, self-esteem, etc., and so they resist all efforts by the schools to enforce discipline, dress codes, and learning standards, preferring instead to file lawsuits if their little darlings aren't allowed to do as they please.

This case is a prime example.

Dress codes within reason are fine, in order to keep sleazy, completely inappropriate bits of indecent clothing out of the schools. I had them in my high school, and the principle enforced them whenever a student came to school dressed either like a slut or as a gang banger, otherwise everything was fine.

However, I'm against schools dictating every piece of decent clothing that a child may or may not wear, down to what types of fabric may be used, to what types of colors may be worn, to what types of socks and underwear are acceptable. This conform or else mentality, as enthusiastically expressed by some on this thread, smacks very much of fascism in my opinion. That a child was disciplined because he wore tigger socks, even though he knew he was provoking an incident, is inexcusable, and yet another symptom of a system run amok, in the opposite extreme. I wonder what the Founding Fathers would say about public schools imposing rules on what kinds of socks ro colors of clothing may be worn?

I take a different tack from you. IMO, one reason the public schools are in the shape they are in is because of parents undercutting the school's authority at every opportunity, in many cases trying to move it in just the direction you say you deplore.

No. Govt schools are in the shape they are in because they are government institutions run by liberals. Everything else pales in comparison to that fact. The schools would essentially be in the same shape they are in now without parents like these. And, as I said, if these crazy parents (I sometimes think of them as the 'useful idiots' for our side) do something to slow up the liberal indoctrination and crushing of individual thinking insides said school system, then I'm not going to get overly worked up about that.

Let me add this: if a rapist were to be shot and killed while being mugged, I would not celebrate the fact that the mugger makes his living by stealing other people's stuff. But on the other hand, I wouldn't lose even so much as a wink of sleep that the rapist met an untimlely demise partly because, after all, the rapist is far more dangerous to society than the crook.

Similarly, if a bunch of parents with an agenda are, through their actions, offering resistance to the govt indoctrination centers, I doubt I'm going to lose any sleep over it.

I will repeat: the govt schools represent a long term existential threat to our society. I will never stand in defense of any institution or organization that poses so dire a threat to this nation. For any reason.

To All: Please read post #61.

The problem here Amelia, Virginia Ridgerunner, and JamesP81, is that government schools and the First Amendment are utterly incompatible! The two can not coexist!

JamesP82 wrote: "I will repeat: the govt schools represent a long term existential threat to our society. I will never stand in defense of any institution or organization that poses so dire a threat to this nation. For any reason."

WINNER!!!! Give this man a prize!!!

You get it! There is a fundamental and irresolvable conflict between freedom of conscience, the First Amendment and police enforced government schooling!!!

Virginia Ridgerunner wrote: Govt schools are in the shape they are in because they are government institutions run by liberals.

You don't get it.

Why?

Answer: Because you don't understand that government schools and freedom of conscience can not coexist. Liberals have a fundamental right to freedom of conscience just as much as conservatives and Libertarians do, as well.

Amelia wrote:,,, so they resist all efforts by the schools to enforce discipline, dress codes, and learning standards, preferring instead to file lawsuits if their little darlings aren't allowed to do as they please.

Why don't we read about law suits of this kind against private schools? In my former area of Upper Eastern Shore, Maryland, there were are wide variety of private schools from which to choose. They ranged from a military boarding school to Montessori, to a new-agey-free-thinking school. Guess what? The kids looked very content, were doing well on their standardized tests, and I bet the parents were happy too!

In contrast, we have the government school, one-size-fits-all. If you can't afford to ransom you child from the government school indoctrination camp, too bad. The government will force that child into its minimum security prison and tell them to shut up and DO NOT WEAR SOCKS WITH TIGERS ON THEM!!! If they don't abide, the government will punish them.