School Suspends Teens for Wearing Crucifixes

AP ^ | February 25, 2008

[rwfromkansas]

The last sentence in the article excerpt says they do not ask students to remove items such as this without OTHER information leading them to think it is not simply a religious item.

Considering I have seen quite a few unsavory Hispanic characters I know are not exactly devout wearing crucifixes, I would not be surprised if some gangs do wear them.....it is a way to have a symbol that isn’t automatically assumed to be gang-related.

[DallasDeb]

School should be able to have any rule that they want; however, they have to treat everyone equally. If they can’t wear a crucifix on a necklace, then NO ONE can wear any jewelry at all. The suspension is ridiculous.

[Clemenza]

Indeed he did. The swastic (sp?) is a sanskrit symbol that has thousands of years of historical significance in Hinduism as do the Aryans, who were not necessarily white, blonde, blue eyed, etc. Hitler hijacked these things and changed the way the swastic and the term "aryan" are perceived forever.

Correct. The swastika was very popular in the boom for "all things oriental/eastern" in American design back in the day. There are several buildings in Bayonne, NJ where the developer incorporated the swastika into the design that still stand. It was even featured on the world famous Corn Palace in 1907:

[SamuraiScot]

"I was like, why?" Salazar said.

That doesn't strike me as quite altar-boy grammar, somehow. Actually sounds more like a gang-itude.

I have great reverence for crucifixes, but I'll give the principal the benefit of the doubt—unless it turns out he's an ACLU nut.

[metmom]

ANOTHER REASON TO HOMESCHOOL

This ping list is for the “other” articles of interest to homeschoolers about education and public school. If you want on/off this list, please freepmail me. The main Homeschool Ping List by DaveLoneRanger handles the homeschool-specific articles. This can occasionally be a fairly high volume list.

[Emperor Palpatine]

You're so right. The swastika was an ancient symbol used by Native Americans that meant good luck, although it faced the opposite direction and was not tilted like the Nazi Hakenkreuz was.

[metmom]

You really can’t make stuff like this up.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

[metmom]

A crucifix is a gang symbol?

Who woulda guessed?

We certainly can’t have the kind of gangs running around lose like Jesus did.

[metmom]

"We're not trying to squash any religious symbols and we're not trying to get into religion, but we are trying to get into student safety, and that's what we're really concerned about," Haggart said.

And how is banning a crucifix about student safety?

If they tried that around here, the principal would be tarred and feathered and the superintendent wouldn't have enough hours in the day to deal with the irate parents.

[metmom]

And every kid in the school would wear one the next day.

[MSF BU]

That looks much like the Kartouche’s that one could have made up in Ryadh; of course, I never saw any quite like that design for sale there.

[MSF BU]

Too bad you couldn’t have collected them all after school and made them recite the whole program, with each mystery.

[mware]

There ya go.

Actually I was not a Catholic when that incident occured but I was heading down the road towards home.

I mention to a couple of the kids when they complained that rosary beads were not an article to be worn as a fashion statement but as a sign of your faith and a prayer aid.

[samiam1972]

Why was the kid even wearing a Rosary? It’s not jewelry, it’s a tool used for prayer. Unless he’s contemplating a religious life and prays frequently during the day, there really is no reason for him to wear it.

Now, that having been said, we homeschool so if my kids want to wear their Rosary I don’t have to even think about whether or not it is gang related!

[353FMG]

“Salazar said Principal Chris Equinoa saw his necklace and told him to put it away.”

I had no idea that Chris Equinoa is a Saudi.

[Marie2]

I know, my kids use all sorts of different bandanna colors, too.

We have blue shirts “crips” and red jackets “bloods” and we are just ALL messed up.

[bboop]

I support the school officials in this too. There are undiscussed variables in this, that it is a gang sign. Just would like proof that these Jr Hi kids really loved the Lord ....

I work with kids that age...

[tbw2]

If gangs are such a problem, ban the gang members, not the gang get-up.

[Salvation]

Oregon Ping

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Oregon Ping List.

[Salvation]

Albany, OR School District -- contact on the front page