14 year-old girl wears rosary beads to school. Guess what happens

[Skwim]

And yet they requested that she remove it, not hide it.

Yeah, that bothered me too. Hopefully it's just sloppy reporting.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

Massive, massive fail by this school. Courts have been pretty clear that the rights of students to wear religious attire exceeds the rights of schools to impose a dress code, so long as such attire does not cause distractions. That's why students (and teachers) are allowed to wear religious headgear, such as a kippah, even though most school systems forbid the wearing of nearly all headgear.

 

[McBell]

Massive, massive fail by this school. Courts have been pretty clear that the rights of students to wear religious attire exceeds the rights of schools to impose a dress code, so long as such attire does not cause distractions. That's why students (and teachers) are allowed to wear religious headgear, such as a kippah, even though most school systems forbid the wearing of nearly all headgear.

Irrelevant.
the girl flat out states that she was wearing the rosary in memory of her grandmother.
Not as a symbol of her religious beliefs.

 

[Rakhel]

Irrelevant.
the girl flat out states that she was wearing the rosary in memory of her grandmother.
Not as a symbol of her religious beliefs.

You raise a good point.

 

[Madhuri]

Irrelevant.
the girl flat out states that she was wearing the rosary in memory of her grandmother.
Not as a symbol of her religious beliefs.

And not as a symbol of gang membership.

 

[Mercy Not Sacrifice]

Irrelevant.
the girl flat out states that she was wearing the rosary in memory of her grandmother.
Not as a symbol of her religious beliefs.

You raise a good point.

Hmmmmm. I guess, then, it's important to explore the question: Which counts for more here, intent or action? That is, which is more important: A student's wearing something that just so happens to be religious, or intentionally doing so?

 

[McBell]

And not as a symbol of gang membership.

Objects mean different things to different people.
If there is a serious gang problem in that area and one or more of the gangs prominently rosaries then yes, I can see how it could be indicative of her membership of a gang by other students and potentially cause a disturbance.

The fact is that the article in the OP does not give much background information concerning that particular point.

 

[McBell]

Hmmmmm. I guess, then, it's important to explore the question: Which counts for more here, intent or action? That is, which is more important: A student's wearing something that just so happens to be religious, or intentionally doing so?

I am going to go with action.
When told she was in violation of school rules and given the opportunity to comply to school rules or face punishment, she declared she wanted the punishment.
Only after the school calling her bluff did she start whining about the rules.

 

[Poisonshady313]

Hmmmmm. I guess, then, it's important to explore the question: Which counts for more here, intent or action? That is, which is more important: A student's wearing something that just so happens to be religious, or intentionally doing so?

There's something to be said for the fact that it is not a tenet of anyone's faith to wear rosary beads. Whereas, religious Jews are always supposed to keep their heads covered with a yarmulka... and Sikhs are supposed to keep their heads covered with a turban.

You can't ask a religious Jew to take off his yarmulka... ever. Only time he takes it off is in the shower.

Whereas wearing the rosary beads as an article of jewelry is entirely optional.

 

[Bismillah]

Irrelevant.
the girl flat out states that she was wearing the rosary in memory of her grandmother.
Not as a symbol of her religious beliefs.

Of course it sets a dangerous and stupid precedent, which should be a greater concern.

 

[Bismillah]

And why can't it be both? You must realize that many things convey more than a single meaning. Don't you?

As for being acknowledged: from the article in the OP

"Some gang experts have associated the rosary with gang activity.

“The rosary can be a sign of gang involvement,” said Victor Gonzales, the Director of the Houston mayor’s Anti-Gang Task Force. “Schools are just worried about safety.”
​

Why else would the school board see fit to include it with other gang symbols? Think they're simply anti-Catholic?

One connotation has to take precedence. If the majority of people conjure gang activity with a rosary, then yes you would be right. Of course, that is not the case.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

The way I see it, given that

A) The rosary is associated with gang activity.

B) The school board evidently finds gang membership and signs of it disruptive in schools.

C) To eliminate such disruption it has seen fit to establish a dress code that forbids the display of gang signs in any form, including the rosary.

D) The school advised parents and students of this code.
​

therefore, in displaying the rosary the girl was in violation of the code. That she was given the opportunity of either removing it or be suspended and chose the latter, her suspension was her own undoing. Hopefully, it'll be a good lesson.

What a terribly defeatist yield to paranoia. It's about as credible as the preventive war philosophy. Obviously, the no-rosaries policy is not a real safety measure in the sense that it works. What's confusing to me is why the school board didn't think that enforcing this policy would cause a few hiccups.

 

[Skwim]

One connotation has to take precedence. If the majority of people conjure gang activity with a rosary, then yes you would be right. Of course, that is not the case.

And why need it be a majority?

Obviously, the no-rosaries policy is not a safety measure.

"Obviously"? If the school board's gang symbol rule isn't a safety measure, it appears to be at least one to forestall disruption.

What's confusing to me is why the school board didn't think this policy would cause a disturbance.

How do we know they didn't?

 

[Bismillah]

And why need it be a majority?

... Because the connotation something has is normally the predominant affiliation of the object.

"Obviously"? If the school board's gang symbol rule isn't a safety measure, it appears to be at least one to forestall disruption.

So where is the links to rosaries being used by gangs?

And regardless the predominant use of a rosary is not gang related.

Thus if you ARE going to make the case, it would only make sense if it were the complete package.

i.e sagged pants, solid colors denoting gangs, tattoos, bandanna etc. etc.

Picking and choosing one obscure article that is not normally associated with gangs is stupidity at its finest.

 

[uu_sage]

Suspended for wearing a rosary? That's ridiculous. People are free to wear whatever religious symbol they so desire. The logic administration is using is twisted- it is the same nuttiness they used when other schools have suspended Jewish students for wearing a Star of David.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

"Obviously"? If the school board's gang symbol rule isn't a safety measure, it appears to be at least one to forestall disruption.

Safety is generally the standard-issue premise when implementing repressive policies.

I find it highly ironic to implement a disruptive policy for the sake of curbing disruption, especially when there is no indication that the rosary was causing a disruption before action was taken. It just goes to show that the board is not worried about disruption, so long as they themselves are the ones making such disruptions. The no-rosaries policy is a scapegoat safety measure designed to put the ball in their court concerning matters that interest them. It's just too bad obviously-innocent 14 year old girls have to suffer the consequences of their petty misgivings.

How do we know they didn't?

We don't. I just assume that anyone with an ounce of sense should know not to implement disruptive policies that don't work. The policy isn't the slightest bit intuitive. It should be rolled back.

 

[McBell]

Of course it sets a dangerous and stupid precedent, which should be a greater concern.

What precedent is that?

 

[McBell]

One connotation has to take precedence. If the majority of people conjure gang activity with a rosary, then yes you would be right. Of course, that is not the case.

How do you know that is not the case?

 

[Poisonshady313]

And regardless the predominant use of a rosary is not gang related.

A Catholic can correct me on this, but the predominant use of a rosary is not being worn as an article of jewelry, either.

It's not as if she was suspended for wearing a crucifix around her neck... something which is very common and not terribly suspicious.

 

[Erogin]

While I can understand the link between gangs and rosary beads, this is a stupid reason as to why this girl was suspended.
I thought everyone had rights in the world?
Gang members also wear T-Shirts and jeans, are they stopping students from wearing those, too?