SCHOOL, RELIGION AND GANGS

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Rights and freedoms are skanky political fodder these days. So many are fighting for their rights over the rights of others, and there are no easy answers when rights conflict. One school district suspended a student for wearing rosary beads. Mother meets with school adminstrators.

My thoughts are as follows:

1. Students should have the right to dye their hair, pierce their eye brows and wear a religious symbol.
2. Schools have a duty to protect students from gangs, drugs bullying.
3. Students should not be able to use religion to disguise gang-related behavior.

So the question really becomes "are rosary beads being used by gang members in schools to circumvent the schools's anti-gang measures?" I am a teacher, but not in a high school. This is not an issue in my school, but I have no information on the use of rosary beads by gang members.

I do not believe we have enough information to make an informed decision. I did notice -- and this is significant -- that the student was allowed to wear the beads so long as he wore them under his shirt. Such a compromise would allow for a student to honor his family and still be in compliance with an anti-bully policy. He would not accept that compromise. I wonder why? The story never said.


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