Palladin
NES Member
Middle school student in Nevada sues district after being punished for wearing pro-gun T-shirt
I'm surprised this is in Nevada.
I'm surprised this is in Nevada.
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About time. Is the 1st lawsuit of this kind to be filed?
Alan Newsom looks like a pretty typical 13-year-old. He wears standard eighth-grade garb– the backwards baseball cap, baggy, low-slung jeans, and a t-shirt.
It's the latter item of apparel that propelled Newsom into court and provoked a precedent-setting decision on school policy and the First Amendment.
Two years ago, when he was in the sixth grade at Jack Jouett Middle School, Newsom spent the weekend at an NRA Shooting Sports Camp learning about rifle target shooting and gun safety. Jazzed about the camp, he wore its bright purple t-shirt to school on April 29, 2002.
But once he got there, he was asked to remove it. That request led to a lawsuit against the Albemarle County School Board, the superintendent, and principals at Jouett. Backed by NRA legal muscle, Newsom claimed his First Amendment rights had been violated and sued for $150,000.
After two years and major setbacks for Albemarle– including a ruling allowing Newsom to wear the shirt– the suit went into mediation last Thursday, January 22, and a settlement could be announced by the time this issue is on newsstands.
A seemingly routine decision by a Jouett assistant principal in the post-Columbine era collided with free speech issues. Not only will Newsom v. Albemarle School Board affect how the county sets dress code policy, but it encompasses every other school system in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina– states under the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Nope. And don't be so sure the kid will win folks. The courts have said You don't "shed" your first amendment rights in public schools , BUT you also don't enjoy them as much as you do in the public square. If your "rights" become disruptive to the educational process you lose. Also your attire can't promote violence, drug use and a few other things I'm missing. If no one but the teacher noticed the shirt and only had a problem because he or she disagreed with it on political grounds then the kids suit is looking good. But this is no open and shut case from the facts given imo.About time. Is the 1st lawsuit of this kind to be filed?
Nope. And don't be so sure the kid will win folks. The courts have said You don't "shed" your first amendment rights in public schools , BUT you also don't enjoy them as much as you do in the public square. If your "rights" become disruptive to the educational process you lose. Also your attire can't promote violence, drug use and a few other things I'm missing. If no one but the teacher noticed the shirt and only had a problem because he or she disagreed with it on political grounds then the kids suit is looking good. But this is no open and shut case from the facts given imo.
Language / Illustrations on Clothing
- No obscene, vulgar, profane, or derogatory language or illustrations on clothing;
- No sexual overtones, or anything that promotes weapons, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, gang membership, or violence; and
- Nothing that may be deemed a safety issue.