If you can’t see a difference between the two, I’d be wasting my time arguing with you. And I’m far from being a libertarian. Since you mentioned goatees and earrings, I’m betting I was in school before you were. We couldn’t do the things you listed, either.
There’s a big difference between political speech and obscenity, taking a position or causing a disruption. Sensible people can tell one from the other which explains why most public schools today have a one-size-fits-all policy on most everything. It keeps the administrators from having to think. So, a drawing of a gun = a gun, and your kid gets expelled.
You strike me as one of those who would disallow everything to everybody because it;s easier than actually having to make a judgement call. I call that laziness.
Incidentally, you didn’t mention the clerk grabbing this girl by the arm and yanking her around. The good old days you are yearning for also allowed paddlings and other corporal punishments, usually unsupervised and often much more than was called for. I can remember being smacked in the back of the head with a text book for goofing off in class; I probably deserved it but I wouldn’t be in favor of bringing that sort of teacher behavior back, would you?
It's funny, I was only cracked one time and looking back I deserved it and the teacher warned me 2-3 times to stop what I was doing. You know what? I never did get in trouble agin.
All the kids that got cracked deserved it. Yes we need paddling back in school instead of time out in a corner.
As for the clerk grabbing this girl by the arm and yanking her around I would like to see what really happened and get the clerks side of the story.
Many young kids today have an arrogant attitude and you know it.