Posted on 12/22/2004 11:53:59 AM PST by kattracks
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A teenager is suing her school district for barring her from the prom last spring because she was wearing a dress styled as a large Confederate battle flag.The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court claims the Greenup County district and administrators violated Jacqueline Duty's First Amendment right to free speech and her right to celebrate her heritage at predominantly white Russell High School's prom May 1. She also is suing for defamation, false imprisonment and assault.
"Her only dance for her senior prom was on the sidewalk to a song playing on the radio," said her lawyer, Earl-Ray Neal.
Duty, 19, is seeking actual and punitive damages in excess of $50,000.
[snip]
Duty, now a college student, said school officials told her before the prom not to wear the dress, but she didn't have another one and decided to see if administrators would change their minds.
According to her lawsuit, she was met outside by two police officers and principal Sean Howard. She said the principal intimidated her by striking the vehicle she was in.
[snip]
The Sons of Confederate Veterans has promised to help pay some of her legal expenses.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Go for it, girl. I hope you win and win BIG.
I usually hate people who say things like this, but- the search feature is your friend. This was posted at least 3 times yesterday.
This is bs. What about her freedom of speech? At least she was willing to cover her body, which alot of young people are incapable of doing.
ping!
Merry Christmas!
They told her not to wear it, she wore it anyway, and now she is suing?
If she had wanted to burn the American flag, she probably would have had no problem.
Bet her friends alwasy said "Howdy Duty!"
hmmmm, I have mixed feelings, a believe in freedom of speech, however, the school has rules and she did not follow them.........
I hope she wins, also, even though it seems a bit over the top, the left has made a big point of doing and being allowed to do this sort of thing. Free speech for some is not free speech at all. She has the right to excersize her free speech just as much as anyone else. Having said that, it has nothing to do with the confederacy in my mind.
OH SEARCH, SEARCH, WHEREFORE ART THOU, SEARCH!?.....
This speaks volumes of the woeful public education system in regards to American history. Kentucky was not one of the 11 Confederate States.
the question is, of course, are those rules consistent with free speech. The fact that they said no in advance doesn't let them off the hook. Free Speech has been the battle cry in the culture wars, and it will continue to be til we sort this stuff out.
This speaks volumes of the woeful public education system in regards to American history. Kentucky was not one of the 11 Confederate States.
For those who like to crow about tort reform and ridding the legal system of waste and frivolity, here ya go...
Wow. A teenage girl with taste, who'da thunkit?
huh...huh...huh...huh.......her name is duty.....huh..
Howdy!
Sue the crap out of them...then again u could of have advoided all this buy just going out to buy another nice cheap dress...but sue em anyways.GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!
From what I understand, she spent months making the dress, and a teacher overheard her talking about it the day or two before and she got a phone call that night telling her not to wear it.
In that circumstance, I think I might have the same attitude.
So you think freedom of speech ends because a school administrator says so?
And since the administrator represents the 'government', that, in itself is a violation of her constitutional rights.
It's cleavage, not hate.
Duty damnit! Duty!
is her dad her prom date??
I suspect that anyone who wanted to see the dress wouyld have to vbisit her at the local jail.
It'so hard to fly like an eagle when you are surronded by turkeys.
Girl needs to learn to pick her battles carefully.
What is wrong with that dress?????????? It covers all the right places. Was all attire subjected to preapproval by the administrators?
Wearing a dress based on the confederate battle flag is not free speech, it is incitement. For a lot of people, the flag represents slavery, etc... and to wear it would intentionally upset a lot of people.
Love it!! Really cool............
The north had more slaves per household than the south. Incitement????????? B.S.
No....that's her boyfriend. He's a sophomore.....
I am not arguing over slavery or the civil war. Nowadays if you are a principal you Cover Your Ass.
Well since the Confederate flag is not a 'representation of slavery', to back down from your principles in the face of adversity, is nothing more than surrendering to the will of others.
And since you say the Confederate Flag is a 'representation of slavery', then, since the "north" also owned slaves ,before and AFTER the civil war, why is the American flag considered a 'representation of slavery'?
"why is the American flag considered a 'representation of slavery'? "
Sorry!
should have read 'why ISN'T the American flag'.
If he allowed her to wear it, the headline would be 'Principal let girl wear offensive dress' and the NAACP would be suing the school district.
Which goes back to my first statement:
"to back down from your principles in the face of adversity, is nothing more than surrendering to the will of others. "
If the administrator is religious and was 'principled' in his personal beliefs no amount of law suits would make him back down.
Irregardless of school 'policy'.
Sorry, working to posts at once.
Strike the 'religious' part.
You are similarly mistaken in your own history. While Kentucky was not officially in the confederacy, it's sympathies in the war were split right down the middle and both sides controlled various parts of the state during the war. Kentucky's legislature officially declared itself neutral in the fight but the state sent thousands of soldiers into both armies.
Come on.
This is the United States.
Everybody KNOWS free speech only applies to homosexual radicals, communists, NAMBLA, atheists, illegal invaders, and nutjob Islamofascists.
It doesn't apply to any other classes.
Sort of like an extension of the "protected class" philosophy used in Affirmative Discrimination.
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