A Michigan school did not violate the free-speech rights of a third-grade student who was told to remove a hat that had an image of an AR-15-style rifle and the message “come and take it” in capital letters, a federal court said Friday. [More]
I’m probably going to take the unpopular view here and say the parents knew what the dress code was and let their kid be the one to take the heat for their views by challenging school policy over an issue they’re hardly developed enough to understand beyond a superficial level.
I would not have allowed either of my sons to wear that hat to school for that reason, and also because it was my job as their father to minimize risks where I could, including now the child will have to deal with the fallout from other students and teachers, and it will follow him through the system until he graduates.
There’s a reason I have never named my sons beyond the created-for-effect “feral sons Uday and Qusay,” and never posted current photos of them. Choices I have made carry repercussions and even dangers, and those are mine to bear, not my family’s. That’s also why I deliberately kept a low profile on local politics.
Change my mind.
[Via Jess]