Child says nose ring is religious and suspension is against 1st Amendment of freedom of speech.

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"I think it's kind of stupid for them to kick me out of school for a nose piercing," she said. "It's in the First Amendment for me to have freedom of religion." Iacono and her mother, Nikki, belong to the Church of Body Modification, a small group unfamiliar to rural North Carolina, but one with a clergy, a statement of beliefs and a formal process for accepting new members.

When did nose rings become religious? I believe that there is a Jedi religion. Would I be allowed to wear a cloak and bring a lightsaber to school because it is part of my (Jedi) religion?

What exactly defines a religion nowadays?

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Original post by Alpha_ProgDes Would I be allowed to wear a cloak and bring a lightsaber to school because it is part of my (Jedi) religion?

If you brought a real lightsaber I doubt anyone would be willing to fuck with ya.

Besides it'd be too cool.

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Original post by Alpha_ProgDes I believe that there is a Jedi religion...a lightsaber to school because it is part of my (Jedi) religion.

No, you don't, and it isn't. And as long as you take that sort of a disrespectful, dismissive attitude towards people you don't agree with, you're extremely unlikely to end up understanding their motivations.

Note that they are not kicking her out because of her religion. They are kicking her out because of dress code violations.

The headline wouldn't be nearly as powerful with "Girl suspended for dress code violation".



Piercings as part of a religion is not for me, but I can allow for it as part of someone's beliefs.

It looks like the family is just looking for a fight. The district granted a religious exception to their dress code for "deeply held beliefs". Now they'll likely just remove the exception, keeping the dress code intact.

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Original post by Alpha_ProgDes Would I be allowed to wear a cloak and bring a lightsaber to school because it is part of my (Jedi) religion?

The cloak might violate a dress code policy, but I remember several kids who wore them when I was in school. The cloaks they used in the movies are more like long jackets. I'm sure you could be creative to turn it into something within the dress code.

A lightsaber would almost certainly violate a weapons policy or local law.

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Original post by frob A lightsaber would almost certainly violate a weapons policy or local law.

I really do think that's pretty silly. When I was in elementary school, I brought in a homemade bow and arrow for show and tell, and fired it at the coat rack as part of my bit. Now I'd be hauled off to jail and counseling.

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Original post by owl If you brought a real lightsaber I doubt anyone would be willing to fuck with ya.

Um...

/wave I'm allowed to carry a lightsaber
/wave You want to go away now


However, kids - do not experiment with this. Seriously.. SWAT is not known for their sense of humor.

Sikhs are technically supposed to carry a representation of a weapon on them. I don't think anyone is going to argue that Sikhism is not an established religion. And I'm certainly not going to argue that they shouldn't be allowed to carry it, even in schools.

I don't see what this issue is here. I went to a private school and lived with a dress code. I seem to recall the admins having problems with the length of my hair (which had to be above the collar), which to this day I wear quite long for a guy. Teachers occasionally threatened to drag me down to a barber to get my hair trimmed, but I was never suspended for it. The dress code also did not allow any of us to wear piercings other than studs in the ears, did not allow the girls to wear "strong" makeup, and did not tolerate flamboyant hair dye jobs.

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It looks like the family is just looking for a fight.

I agree.

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Original post by capn_midnight Sikhs are technically supposed to carry a representation of a weapon on them. I don't think anyone is going to argue that Sikhism is not an established religion. And I'm certainly not going to argue that they shouldn't be allowed to carry it, even in schools.

Aren't the representations ornamental and unusable as an actual weapon?