School Suspends Rastafarian Student Over Dreadlocks

[Ethel mermania]

2 things. One, this is America you CANNOT do that. There is a bill of rights. 2. And is his name really John Doe?

the bill of rights says a school cant have a dress code?

[Tierra Prime]

But dreadlocks are cool.

[Lalaki]

I'm guessing the school's problem is that if they allowed this "John Doe" to have dreads, they would have to let kids wear other "disruptive" hairstyles. And it doesn't look like a place that would want to do that.

It is a religious exemption. Perfectly reasonable. People of certain faiths are not required to follow the head wear rule, correct?

[Ifreann]

2 things. One, this is America you CANNOT do that. There is a bill of rights. 2. And is his name really John Doe?

the bill of rights says a school cant have a dress code?

It's in really small letters in between the 6th and 7th amendments. 6.5th Amendment - No dress codes, bro.

[Ethel mermania]

the bill of rights says a school cant have a dress code?

It's in really small letters in between the 6th and 7th amendments. 6.5th Amendment - No dress codes, bro.

i must have missed it with my nyc remedial requiring education. darnnit.

[Magna Libero]

What?

Looks like eh thinks that is the child's actual name.

Yeah, it looked too common to be true.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

The school is a private school. No Public School I know has a "registration" period; usually with public schools you get sent to the school that covers your area, unless other states apparently have other means to register children on the public education system.

That being said, if the school is a Parish school they can impose the dress codes they want, really.

[Threlizdun]

The school is a private school. No Public School I know has a "registration" period; usually with public schools you get sent to the school that covers your area, unless other states apparently have other means to register children on the public education system.

That being said, if the school is a Parish school they can impose the dress codes they want, really.

Nope, it's public, so they can't knowingly violate someone's religious freedom when it isn't harmful or disruptive to the school environment.

[Jumalariik]

The Times-Picayune sums it up nicely.

The ACLU of Louisiana sent a letter this week to Plaquemines Parish school officials contesting a Rastafari student's suspension in Port Sulphur for having dreadlocks that extend beyond the top of his shirt collar.

The ACLU letter, written by staff attorney Candice Sirmon, said "John Doe's religious faith is Rastafari, and wearing his hair in dreadlocks and not cutting his hair is central to his religious beliefs."

Plaquemines Superintendent Denis Rousselle could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday.

"The school administrators and Mr. Rousselle have prohibited John Doe from returning to school as long has his hair remains in dreadlocks, as his religion requires," Sirmon wrote.

Sirmon's letter said that on Aug. 8, the first day of the school at South Plaquemines High School, the student was told that he had to cut his hair and that, when he did not do so, he was not allowed to return to school.

"The school administrators and Mr. Rousselle have prohibited John Doe from returning to school as long has his hair remains in dreadlocks, as his religion requires," the letter states. "Despite his numerous attempts to attend school, John Doe has been forced to miss 10 of the first 1 days of this school year."

The ACLU states that it "is unconstitutional under both the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article 1 § 8 of the Louisiana Constitution. Additionally, the school board's dress code policy is in violation of Louisiana's Preservation of Religious Freedom Act, La. R.S. § 13:5231 et seq."

In other words, despite the child's religious beliefs clearly stating that he is not to cut his hair, the school has indefinitely suspended him until he violates said beliefs. It's not even like he's looking for the right to smoke ganja in the hallways: he simply wants to be able to follow a simple, non-disruptive element of his faith. This shouldn't be any more of a controversy than a Catholic student wearing a cross, or a Hindu student wearing a bindi.

What's the general thought on this? Does the school have a good point? Should the student either cut his hair or find a private school? Or should he simply be allowed to follow the tenets of his religion so long as they are not disruptive to the education of his peers? If the dreadlocks are disruptive, how so, and could this possibly be solved by something short of a disruption to this particular student's education?

At my school, my best friend had his cross taken from him by an administrator because it was a religious symbol. People should be able to follow the tenets of any religion as long as they don't harm others.

This shouldn't be any more of a controversy than a Catholic student wearing a cross, or a Hindu student wearing a bindi.

At my old school, and in other French schools, that is/was a problem.

[Destiny Island]

Well this is rather silly. That school is strict tho.

[Jumalariik]

Just saw this on TYT.

Um. Well. The school is stupid.

TYT supports religious freedom?
Unless you follow an un-trendy/cool religion like Christianity or Islam, then, your religion should be insulted and persecuted.
I don't like tyt.

[Ethel mermania]

The school is a private school. No Public School I know has a "registration" period; usually with public schools you get sent to the school that covers your area, unless other states apparently have other means to register children on the public education system.

That being said, if the school is a Parish school they can impose the dress codes they want, really.

parishes is what louisiana calls townships. its a public school.

[Soldati Senza Confini]

The school is a private school. No Public School I know has a "registration" period; usually with public schools you get sent to the school that covers your area, unless other states apparently have other means to register children on the public education system.

That being said, if the school is a Parish school they can impose the dress codes they want, really.

parishes is what louisiana calls townships. its a public school.

Damn Louisiana's different code and damn Napoleon too for making me be wrong on this one.

[New Chalcedon]

*snips news source*

In other words, despite the child's religious beliefs clearly stating that he is not to cut his hair, the school has indefinitely suspended him until he violates said beliefs. It's not even like he's looking for the right to smoke ganja in the hallways: he simply wants to be able to follow a simple, non-disruptive element of his faith. This shouldn't be any more of a controversy than a Catholic student wearing a cross, or a Hindu student wearing a bindi.

What's the general thought on this? Does the school have a good point? Should the student either cut his hair or find a private school? Or should he simply be allowed to follow the tenets of his religion so long as they are not disruptive to the education of his peers? If the dreadlocks are disruptive, how so, and could this possibly be solved by something short of a disruption to this particular student's education?

Silly rabbit - every right-thinking (or should that be "Right-thinking?") American knows that the First Amendment and the freedom of religion it enshrines only apply to Christianity!

[Des-Bal]

The power of schools to limit distracting clothing, piercings, and haircuts is understood. The question is if the dreadlocks are a distraction, which they could be but based on this I don't know. If their not huge and their not filthy I don't think there's any real need to throw the kid out but that in mind I don't think the fact their a religious expression should insulate him against judgement if they are.

[Ethel mermania]

parishes is what louisiana calls townships. its a public school.

Damn Louisiana's different code and damn Napoleon too for making me be wrong on this one.

thats it, blame the short people.

i think i want to read a book or two on napolean, i dont know enough about that period.

[Lemanrussland]

"John Doe"? Haha, how... proletariat-sounding?

Lol, private education would probably be the best anyway. A hairstyle is a reason enough to not let someone attend school? Ridiculous, that's not very efficient and not very nice either, I'm afraid...

"John Doe" is a generic name used when you want to conceal the name of the person in question, or don't know their name. "Jane Doe" is usually used for females.

[The New Sea Territory]

2 things. One, this is America you CANNOT do that. There is a bill of rights. 2. And is his name really John Doe?

"This is America" isn't a really good reason.

[The New Sea Territory]

"John Doe"? Haha, how... proletariat-sounding?

Lol, private education would probably be the best anyway. A hairstyle is a reason enough to not let someone attend school? Ridiculous, that's not very efficient and not very nice either, I'm afraid...

"John Doe" is a generic name used when you want to conceal the name of the person in question, or don't know their name. "Jane Doe" is usually used for females.

What if the dude's last name actually is Doe?

[Scomagia]

First of all, Rastafarianism isn't a religion. It's a cult. Second, I find it hard to believe that the student in question takes Rastafarianism seriously. He's probably just a pothead teenager who "converted" to Rastafarianism because "420 blaze it". Third, if his hairstyle was disrupting the class, the school had all the right to suspend him.

Rastas are religious and not at all cult-like. Learn how cults behave. Second, dreadlocks are an important part of the Rasta cultural and religious heritage and he has every right to have them.

[Lleu llaw Gyffes]

2 things. One, this is America you CANNOT do that. There is a bill of rights. 2. And is his name really John Doe?

the bill of rights says a school cant have a dress code?

I'm sorry, Bill of Rights does NOT forbid dress code.

Pledge of Allegiance has Liberty and Justice for ALL, but that ain't legally binding.

Founding Fathers never expected that a School Board would consist of Nazi retard Fundamentalists, so they didn't make a Law to forbid it.

[Ethel mermania]

the bill of rights says a school cant have a dress code?

I'm sorry, Bill of Rights does NOT forbid dress code.

Pledge of Allegiance has Liberty and Justice for ALL, but that ain't legally binding.

Founding Fathers never expected that a School Board would consist of Nazi retard Fundamentalists, so they didn't make a Law to forbid it.

so supporters of dress codes are nazi retard fundamentalists?

[Gauthier]

*snips news source*

In other words, despite the child's religious beliefs clearly stating that he is not to cut his hair, the school has indefinitely suspended him until he violates said beliefs. It's not even like he's looking for the right to smoke ganja in the hallways: he simply wants to be able to follow a simple, non-disruptive element of his faith. This shouldn't be any more of a controversy than a Catholic student wearing a cross, or a Hindu student wearing a bindi.

What's the general thought on this? Does the school have a good point? Should the student either cut his hair or find a private school? Or should he simply be allowed to follow the tenets of his religion so long as they are not disruptive to the education of his peers? If the dreadlocks are disruptive, how so, and could this possibly be solved by something short of a disruption to this particular student's education?

Silly rabbit - every right-thinking (or should that be "Right-thinking?") American knows that the First Amendment and the freedom of religion it enshrines only apply to Christianity!

It's Louisiana, where the state passed out school vouchers like fish feed to private religious schools only to regret it when those Ebil Moozlem Madrassas wanted to join in on the fun.

[Infected Mushroom]

the school should be shut down.

Rastafarian is a much more logical religion than many of the actually recognized ones. Yet the school spits on it because it doesn't have a billion followers and wasn't around at the time of the Founding Fathers.

If a kid wearing a crucifix had been suspended he would have filed a lawsuit (or merely threatened the school with one) and won.

Plus freedom to dress in schools man. Uniforms suck big time and no school should force people to wear them. It's not cool.

the school should be shut down. everyone involved in the mistreatment of this student should be blacklisted and reported as well as have their licenses revoked. Also, the student should be compensated a fair sum paid out of pocket by the school.

I expect fellow Rasta people will support their brother in arm...

Shut down....no.

Otherwise, get into a bunker. The world's ending.

bunker?

[Warpspace]

Unless his dreadlocks happened to have free will and moved around with their own free will, I don't see how they could be considered disruptive.