Skwim
Veteran Member
Yeah, that bothered me too. Hopefully it's just sloppy reporting.And yet they requested that she remove it, not hide it.
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Yeah, that bothered me too. Hopefully it's just sloppy reporting.And yet they requested that she remove it, not hide it.
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.
You raise a good point.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.
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.
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.
Objects mean different things to different people.And not as a symbol of gang membership.
I am going to go with action.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?
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?
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.
Skwim said: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.Why else would the school board see fit to include it with other gang symbols? Think they're simply anti-Catholic?
“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.”
The way I see it, given that
A) The rosary is associated with gang activity.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.
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.
And why need it be a majority?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.
"Obviously"? If the school board's gang symbol rule isn't a safety measure, it appears to be at least one to forestall disruption.TurkeyOnRye said:Obviously, the no-rosaries policy is not a safety measure.
How do we know they didn't?What's confusing to me is why the school board didn't think this policy would cause a disturbance.
And why need it be a majority?
"Obviously"? If the school board's gang symbol rule isn't a safety measure, it appears to be at least one to forestall disruption.
"Obviously"? If the school board's gang symbol rule isn't a safety measure, it appears to be at least one to forestall disruption.
How do we know they didn't?
What precedent is that?Of course it sets a dangerous and stupid precedent, which should be a greater concern.
How do you know that is not the case?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.
A Catholic can correct me on this, but the predominant use of a rosary is not being worn as an article of jewelry, either.And regardless the predominant use of a rosary is not gang related.