Posted on 03/10/2008 4:15:00 PM PDT by kingattax
LANCASTER, Pa. -- The family of a middle school student who was given detention for wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of a gun has filed a federal freedom of speech lawsuit against the school district.
Donald Miller III, 14, went to Penn Manor High School in December wearing a T-shirt he said was intended to honor his uncle, a U.S. Army soldier fighting in Iraq.
The shirt bears the image of a military sidearm and on the front pocket says "Volunteer Homeland Security." On the back, over another image of the weapon, are the words "Special issue Resident Lifetime License - United States Terrorist Hunting Permit - Permit No. 91101 - Gun Owner - No Bag Limit."
Officials at the Millersville school told him to turn his shirt inside out. When Miller refused, he got two days of detention.
His parents, Donald and Tina Miller of Holtwood, have accused the Penn Manor School District in a lawsuit of violating their son's First Amendment rights with a "vague Orwellian policy" that stifles both patriotism and free speech.
But an attorney for the school district said school must create a safe environment for students in the post-Columbine era, and bringing even the image of a gun to school violates the district's policy.
"There's a much higher level of sensitivity these days," Penn Manor attorney Kevin French said. "But it's based on reality."
The lawsuit was filed in January. A federal judge will hold a conference on the case March 31.
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Ah,,,The uncreative mind of a person indoctrinated in Prussian style, prison-like schools!
No! Private schools do NOT need to cost a “lot” of money. I suggest that the Prussian model be avoided completely! They are expensive to build and run. They have have heavy regulatory, zoning, insurance, and employee tax issues. Also, it is cruel to herd children about in same-age packs and treat them like prisoners.
Conservatives should start now to create private scholarship funds that would grant private vouchers to students attending private schools. They could also award grants to teachers willing to open mini-schools, micro-schools, one room school houses, dame schools, virtual schools, and homeschool cooperatives.
With today's technology is possible to have an excellent educational product that is also more flexible and adaptable to the child's needs and abilities, and FAR MORE HUMANE!
Along with funding and creating private alternatives, conservatives should be working vigorously to put every government teacher out of a government school job. These Marxist indoctrination camps need to be shut down ASAP! Permanently!
“Private schools cost a lot of money, more then the average citizen has. That is why the cost is spread out over ALL the citizens.”
The private school I sent my oldest daughter to cost less than half as much as the Kansas City school district spends per student every unit. Kansas City also has a private foundation that gives scholarships so kids can go to private or parochial schools. It can be done and public schools are nothing more than indoctrination centers.
Nonsense like this is why kids should be made to wear uniforms to school.
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Like the Hitler youth!
in a way that precludes them being told to cease and desist or go home.
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What happens to the child who goes home and REFUSES to return? What happens to his parents?
The fundamental problem here is that government schools are prisons for children who have committed no crime. They are bullied and threaten with armed police action by a government and then told to SHUT UP!
Sorry! But this is a First Amendment abomination!
Get rid of government schooling!
As I pointed out, the school will not be able to think of that as a reasonable solution.
And, if they were, they would be unable to come up with the courage to implement it.
This school has had similar problems in the past, and will continue to have problems.
It cost MUCH less than half.
If your school district is like mine,new building costs, and land acquisition is not included in the cost of educating a government school child. They are bond issues. Neither are the retired teachers pension and health benefits. Retired teachers a simply considered retired “state workers” and not included in the government school budget. Also, our district uses MANY services of the county and this too is off budget. For example many repairs and lawn service is on the county expense rolls.
By the way, my county is building a new $50 MILLION dollar high school. Not one dime of that is included in the yearly estimates of how much it costs to educate a government child.
That's not true.
Banning the picture of a gun was the principals interpetation of a vague policy. Any common sense reading, and every legal reading of this case will differ from the principals reading.
The kid will win in court.
I think when my oldest was in school, the average for the district spending was 10 - 12k, of course that was because some judge down in Springfield MO decided we weren’t doing enough for desegregation. So in order to desegregate, they had to build modern buildings, one with an olympic sized swimming pool. Then they developed “magnet” schools or better known as themed schools that didn’t teach a dang thing. They now have two “african centered” schools, one middle, one high school. Yet after a few billion dollars and the desegregation lawsuit gone, this district just recently lost its state accreditation....lol
No one understands why the district isn’t functioning with all the funds that are being spent. They can’t see the forest for the trees.
Dang! What an awesome t-shirt! I want one :-)
Seriously, they would have trouble with a t-shirt my son wears too. He has an orange and black Halloween t-shirt that has bats, spiders, and leaves in a collage that, from a distance, appears to be a skull.
ping to #22
great story!
Good kid, and good parents.
We need to answer as one.
humblegunner>I had that t-shirt in high school.
Catholic school?
Not English, I hope. :-)
The Detroit School system spends over $11,000 per year per student and graduates less than 25%. Somehow, I think there are private schools which could do a better job in both areas.
Military sidearm? He probably got detention because the picture was of the wussy Beretta and not the 1911.
Take a better look. It’s a reversed image 1911.
Yes, it’s obviously a 1911. I hadn’t seen the pic at all when I posted. (Proudly posting without reading the whole thread since 2000!)
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