The court battle between two girls and their Pennsylvania school over "I (heart) Boobies!" bracelets could be settled by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Easton Area School District board voted 7-1 Tuesday night to appeal a federal appeals court's decision that rejected its claim the bracelets are lewd and should be banned from school.
The case started in 2010 when two girls, then ages 12 and 13, challenged the school's ban on the bracelets designed to promote breast cancer awareness among young people.
The students, Brianna Hawk and Kayla Martinez, said they merely hoped to promote awareness of the disease at their middle school. They filed suit when they were suspended for defying the ban on their school's Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
In August, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision in favor of the girls, saying also that the district didn't prove the bracelets are disruptive.
Superintendent John Reinhart told The Express-Times of Easton he supports the board's decision.
"The Third Circuit Court has compromised administrators' abilities to intervene in what is and what is not appropriate in school," he said.
In court sessions, Reinhart had called the bracelets "cause-based marketing energized by sexual double-entendres."
An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped the girls challenge the rule, said Tuesday night the school had been hinting that it would petition the Supreme Court.
"I'm just really surprised that they're so determined to fight this speech case of all speech cases," said Mary Catherine Roper. "(The bracelets) didn't cause any problems in the school."
For entire article: http://newsok.com/boobies-bracelet-fight-could-go-to-supreme-court/article/feed/610506
The Easton Area School District board voted 7-1 Tuesday night to appeal a federal appeals court's decision that rejected its claim the bracelets are lewd and should be banned from school.
The case started in 2010 when two girls, then ages 12 and 13, challenged the school's ban on the bracelets designed to promote breast cancer awareness among young people.
The students, Brianna Hawk and Kayla Martinez, said they merely hoped to promote awareness of the disease at their middle school. They filed suit when they were suspended for defying the ban on their school's Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
In August, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's decision in favor of the girls, saying also that the district didn't prove the bracelets are disruptive.
Superintendent John Reinhart told The Express-Times of Easton he supports the board's decision.
"The Third Circuit Court has compromised administrators' abilities to intervene in what is and what is not appropriate in school," he said.
In court sessions, Reinhart had called the bracelets "cause-based marketing energized by sexual double-entendres."
An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped the girls challenge the rule, said Tuesday night the school had been hinting that it would petition the Supreme Court.
"I'm just really surprised that they're so determined to fight this speech case of all speech cases," said Mary Catherine Roper. "(The bracelets) didn't cause any problems in the school."
For entire article: http://newsok.com/boobies-bracelet-fight-could-go-to-supreme-court/article/feed/610506
Not to mention the over-sexualization of our kids ... sigh ... It's too early and I've not had enough coffee and ibuprofen in order to enable me to climb all the way up on my soapbox this morning. Count your blessings ... 
