I don’t want the courts telling me what speech is allowed in my classrooms. I do not tell them what speech is allowed in their courtrooms, and I do know from at a number of personal experiences that judges hit hard and immediately on any breeches of what they consider proper speech, dress or decorum. The proper and serious level of decorum in a classroom has no less sanctity and importance than a courtroom.
Why don’t THEY respect Teachers and Principals to have the same responsible authority?
We’re a nation of laws, and respect for the law is first and foremost. Our military swears not to uphold the President, but the Constitution, for this very reason.
Respect is earned, not enforced. Judges have ‘contempt of court’ to compel ‘respect’. Principals, however, don’t.
There are more reasonable, constructive ways of compelling compliance with such things as moderating speech - a school debate on the matter. We fail to teach children how to create, support, and communicate a position anymore, which is why we are down to sloganeering.
If the school had a debate on the matter, and the debate were structured, then you could communicate that perhaps the issue is more complicated than what can be encapsulated in a T-shirt.
As an aside, the Principals are in a no-win situation. They don’t control their employees, because they are irretrievably unionized. They don’t have sway over students because there are parents that nearly ensure that many school-wide policies can’t be enforced.
This situation is precisely in that category. The parent ALLOWED the child to go to school with that shirt on. Fortunately, parents are still free to parent. A pity that more don’t actually avail themselves of that right and responsibility.