Student sues Tenn. school over right to wear 'Jena Six' shirt
Danielle Super, a student at Smyrna High in suburban Nashville, Tenn., is suing her school district for denying her the right to wear to class a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Free the Jena Six," the Associated Press reports.
Assistant Principal Jolene Watson reportedly told Super she couldn't wear the shirt -- which refers to a controversial case involving six black teens arrested on trumped up charges following a series of racially charged incidents in a small Louisiana town -- because it could "cause a problem."
James Evans, a spokesperson for Rutherford County Schools, told the AP that district officials "don’t believe the school is in the wrong, and we are confident this will play out in our favor."
According to the district's dress code, students are prohibited from wearing in school anything associated with criminal gangs or bearing slogans "that are about or suggestive of drugs, alcohol, sex, obscenities or prove to be a disturbing influence."
Super is seeking an injunction allowing her to wear the shirt as well as unspecified damages.
Assistant Principal Jolene Watson reportedly told Super she couldn't wear the shirt -- which refers to a controversial case involving six black teens arrested on trumped up charges following a series of racially charged incidents in a small Louisiana town -- because it could "cause a problem."James Evans, a spokesperson for Rutherford County Schools, told the AP that district officials "don’t believe the school is in the wrong, and we are confident this will play out in our favor."
According to the district's dress code, students are prohibited from wearing in school anything associated with criminal gangs or bearing slogans "that are about or suggestive of drugs, alcohol, sex, obscenities or prove to be a disturbing influence."
Super is seeking an injunction allowing her to wear the shirt as well as unspecified damages.
Labels: civil rights, jena six, schools, Tennessee
1 Comments:
God forbid we should allow any student to "cause a problem". I tried to find an e-mail address for a superintendent or principal at the Rutherford County Public Schools site; but, alas, none was listed. This makes sense, in a way. People might write them, and cause problems.
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