[ExistentialDisorder]

Ok, I read something very similar just the other day, about a 16 year old boy in CA who was suspended from his school because of the way he was dressed, which the school claimed was distracting. He and his mother countered the school and the school board with religious discrimination, claiming that his style of dress was reflective of his and his mothers wiccan religion. Personally, I've never read anything in any wiccan rede where it states you must wear a 12" pink mohawk and paint your eyelids purple and pink, but, whatever. The fact that he was using his religion as grounds for his discrimination I personally think is bullshit, but it won him the case in the end and the school was forced to allow him back in. I think, tho I'm not possitive, that they are continuing to persue criminal prosecution against the school. I could be wrong on that part tho.

There should be limits when it comes to stuff kids wear to school. Those limits don't have to be so severe that it prevents you from wearing anything that isn't the latest trendy britney shit tho. But preventing extreme hair color, make up, piercings, and accessories that could be considered dangerous or used as weapons in a fight, I can clearly see them banning. Course, pencils and pens can and often are used as weapons but you don't see them banning those. And what about those metal spiked protractor things used for drawing circles? Man you could kill with that thing. In most states, if not all, body piercings that go beyond the ear lobes are illegal under the age of 18 anyway. So even with a parent's concent, I don't see them standing up in a court of law. My point is, it depends on exactly what the school is or is not doing. Have they suspended or expelled you or any of your friends? And if so, on what grounds? Those details have to be spelled out specifically in order for suspension/expulsion to be upheld. The generalization of distracting attire that violates the dress code is too vague. Keep in mind that a lot of the time schools - and businesses - will do shit they know is illegal but they get away with it because nobody ever says anything about it. Also, Paganism is a set of religious beliefs, just like Christianity. Wicca is a sect or division of paganism, just as baptist and lutherans are sects of Christianity. (I am pagan but I am not wiccan. there is a difference). That means that it has to be recognized in court, and schools cannot discriminate against it, even tho they do every day. If they reprimand you for wearing a pentacle then they have to equally reprimand those that were crosses and crucifixes. The same goes for pagan/wiccan web sites. If they're blocking them from your school computers, they have to also block christian sites, muslem sites, etc. Otherwise its religious discrimination and can be challenged in court. Not saying you'll win, but it is against the us constitution to discriminate against any religion, anywhere, regardless of what state you live in or how backwards, redneckish your immediate neighbors happen to be. They still have to follow the law.

You might also keep in mind that there are several groups out there who are trying to abolish all religion, regardless of its nature, from public schools.

On the opposite side of the fence for a moment, it seems to make the most sense for schools that have such a narrow-minded view on situations like this, to establish a specific and strict dress code for all students. Hence implementing uniforms. I never thought I'd see the day that I'd be in favor of school uniforms, but I guess I'm just getting old. (31 as of 2 hours ago). While it stifles originality and self expression - which i've always been against doing - it also prevents conflicts like this from happening. Girls wear black, knee-length straight skirts, white long-sleeved shirts, those puffy little black bowtie things, and flat black heeled shoes; boys wear black slacks, white long-sleeve shirts, black neck ties and flat black heeled shoes. No ear rings, no jewelrey except a simple wrist watch, no make-up on either gender, no funky freaky hairstyles of any kind. Period. Any violations will not be tolerated. I know its conformity at its worst state, but it also eliminates, as I said before, any and all conflict. There's no question and no generalization.

But seeing as how your school obviously does not have a dress code or uniform that comes anywhere close to that, it looks to me like you're going to have a bit of a struggle on your hands. And that struggle will most likely last a while. Possibly even longer than your entire enrollment in the school. It could happen. If you're truly adament about your possition and your rights, then fight for them. You need to get a copy of the school's policy on dress code and conduct and analyze it if you haven't done so already. Then compair it to what you and your friends have been told by teachers/faculty and then try to present it to an attourney that knows a thing or two about the school board policies in your area, and that's actually willing to support you. A lot of attourneys don't charge for first time consultations. In the mean time, if I were you I would follow their dress code to the bare minimum and make sure that what I wore pressed nerves but stayed within boundaries, for the simple pleasure it would bring knowing I was pissing them off yet they could do absolutely nothing about it. I can kind'a see where 'sleevelets' would be a no-no, since you could be hiding something up inside them. 'Course you could be hiding something up inside a long-sleave shirt too. So wear long sleeves. They can't prevent you from wearing all black now can they? While its technically clich'e goth, its the point that matters. Get yourself a pair of solid black chucks if you dont already have them - you can get them from shoe carnival pretty cheap. That's where i bought mine just a few weeks ago. Nobody can say shit about chucks. They're high tops but don't have any more laces than any other pair of high top sneakers.

Remember that less is more. Don't go way out with the stuff you wear. Don't wear stuff you know is going to violate something, like chains or spiked/studded anything. I'd personally get some permenant silver white or gray fabric paint from walmart or any other craft store and paint a pentacle on a long sleeve black shirt and dare them to say shit about it. When they start discriminating against you due to religious beliefs/expression is when you have a real solid case against them. You can't put metal skulls and cross bones on your clothing, but there's nothing that says they can't be cloth patches or painted on. Get creative. There's a lot you could do.

Shit like this makes me almost wish I was still in high school, just to challenge stupid adults. I use to wear a freakin cape to school for christ sake. A red-linered black ankle length cape I bought in a costume shop and secured across my chest with a dog's choke chain. Along with a pair of old combat boots that were chained and padlocked around the ankles, then whatever pants and long sleeved shirt I chose. I had a mohawk dyed black and braided with nylon extensions that went down to my ass. I looked like freakin predator had a love child with dracula. But I only had one teacher that didn't like me - my us history teacher. He made the mistake of commenting on the way I was dressed one day and i retorted by asking him if he was going to start buying my clothes for me. If not then shut up about it. Nothing else was said. But this was before the days of columbine where teachers weren't so paranoid. My english teacher, who was at least in her 50's at that time, always liked the way I dressed. She made jokes from time to time, but she was cool about it and was never deliberately cruel. I liked her.

Anyway, those are my suggestions. I wish ya luck.

~E.D.