[bajj]

What do you think of this girl being suspended?

You can read the story here.

This story came from indychannel, a website for a local Indy station affiliated with ABC.

[Lorraine123]

The dress code does not say anything about religious shirts in particular, it says they have to wear polo shirts. She violated that rule and therefore, should be suspended. If she had worn any other t shirt, she should be suspended. Learning to respect the rules set by society is so important. If her future employer had a dress code, she would be expected to follow it and she should learn that now.

I don't see this as a Christian issue, I see it as a disrepecting the school rules issue.

Jmo

[Sniffles]

i agree with Lorraine, they school has a dress code policy and she violated that. It is not a Christian issue. I would probably get sent home from work if I wore something like that. (Wal Mart has a dress code now. ).

[DianeS]

I agree with Lorraine. The dress code doesn't care what writing is on the shirt, it cares about the style of the shirt, and that's what the girl violated.

There are plenty of polo shirts with Christian logos on them - I know because I own some - so if she wants to share her faith she needs to do it the way the school board allows - with a polo shirt!

[bethy724]

I agree with the other posters-she violated the schools policy (4x!) & that is the reason she is facing consequences.

I am religious but don't feel the need to "wear" it on my shirt-my life & behaviors let people know that I live by the word of God. I really wish people would "live" it instead of advertise it.

Although she can do whatever she wants outside of a public institution (with rules & consequenses) - if she were living it & obeying basic rules like every other student is subject to people would see her dedication to her God. There are Catholic or Christian schools to attend if you can't conform to a basic dress code policy.

[Sniffles]

Originally Posted by bethy724

There are Catholic or Christian schools to attend if you can't conform to a basic dress code policy.

Where I live and I went to a Catholic school too, most of these schools wear uniforms.

[bajj]

I must say, I agree too, but I wanted to hear others opinions!

I agree she violated by (1) wearing a t-shirt and (2) wearing a shirt with writing on it (no logos or "sayings" allowed).

I also agree that this isn't because she is a Christian and I wish her parents would see that too. I am afraid it will give us Christians a bad name.

Any other thoughts?

[Emberbit]

The high school I went to (private, secular), we had to wear plain solid color shirt..it didn't matter what kind or color but we were not allowed to wear anything with any kind of logo or any words or any designs. You sat in ISS to do your work if somone notices...and they did. I once was put in ISS for having a tiny (less than an inch big) frog on my polo shirt. Teh school isn't discriminating against religious shirts. She probably would have gotten the same reactiong for wearing any T-shirt. They're against policy.

Another thing my high school required was that any necklaces must be tucked into the shirt and not visible. We were allowed no more than one ring and earings had to all be plain steel or gold ball studs (no jewels or designs). There were a lot of people who got in trouble for wearing their crosses and such outside of their shirt. It wasn't a rule against crosses; it was a rule agianst any necklace. Several of the worst offenders actually got kicked out and ended up in a public or religious school.

If the dress code says "No T-shirts" and "No logos" why should there be an exception for things of a religious nature?

[HappyTwinsMom]

I agree...she violated the dress code - four times. Which, when you think about it, sort of negates her Christian witness, don't you think?

[Lorraine123]

sort of negates her Christian witness

How true....

[SchmennaLeigh]

Originally Posted by bethy724

I really wish people would "live" it instead of advertise it.

Kind of harsh evaluation of a teenager, no? Wearing a shirt with a religion connotation of ANY kind opens that teen up to ridicule from peers. While I still agree that she broke the dress code and must suffer those consequences, I do applaud teens that make that step to "wear their heart on their sleeves." It's hard to be a teen in today's society, even harder still to be a Christian teen. While going against the dress code might not have been the way to go about it, she doesn't deserve to be heckled. She just needs reminded of man-made law and pointed in the right direction for how to show her faith while walking withing those boundaries.

[bajj]

Yes I do, Happy. I am confused by the parents complaint. Their daughter violated the dress code, why turn it into a religious debate?

[bajj]

OK, I am changing my reply since you changed yours, Jenna. yes, I do agree with you. I think it is courageous of her, but yes, she needs to learn to express her faith within the confines of the law (rules, regulations, codes, etc).

You worded it very well!

[mama_again]

I have to agee with those who talk about obeying the rules of the school, especially as a believer. We set the example and total disregard for rules breeds irreverence and disrespect.
We break laws all the time - I was peronally just doing some soul searching on driving defensively as I had to attend a class here on campus & it opened my eyes and heart to show how too many times I as an adult disregard the law of the land. As believers we should be committed to this very thing, but all too often try make a stand... Making a stand is good if it is for the right reasons. So I guess in a nut shell I would ask this young girl, what is the motive of your heart to wear this tshirt or is it to make a difference or show that you have a voice? If it is to have a voice, then why do it in a way that does not show irreverence for the rules of the school, because there are other ways to get things changed, like a petition with students and faculty signatures, presenting it to the powers at be...
I believe change can be made here if approached in the right way...

[alinev]

How is it courageous? One could actually view her behavior as simply the deliberately provocative behaviour of a teen. If it is imperative that she lives her beliefs, there are private schools where she could spend the whole day doing just that.

What if she were wearing a bare midriff and a pair of daisy dukes while asserting her rights? How about a"Satan is my Homeboy" t-shirt? What percentage of people would then support her rights to flout the dress code?