Muscatine

Boy punished for T-shirt with gun image

Mon Mar 10, 1:29 PM ET

LANCASTER, Pa. - The family of a middle school student who was given detention for wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of a gun has filed a federal freedom of speech lawsuit against the school district.

Donald Miller III, 14, went to Penn Manor High School in December wearing a T-shirt he said was intended to honor his uncle, a U.S. Army soldier fighting in Iraq.

The shirt bears the image of a military sidearm and on the front pocket says "Volunteer Homeland Security." On the back, over another image of the weapon, are the words "Special issue Resident Lifetime License - United States Terrorist Hunting Permit - Permit No. 91101 - Gun Owner - No Bag Limit."

Officials at the Millersville school told him to turn his shirt inside out. When Miller refused, he got two days of detention.

His parents, Donald and Tina Miller of Holtwood, have accused the Penn Manor School District in a lawsuit of violating their son's First Amendment rights with a "vague Orwellian policy" that stifles both patriotism and free speech.

But an attorney for the school district said school must create a safe environment for students in the post-Columbine era, and bringing even the image of a gun to school violates the district's policy.

"There's a much higher level of sensitivity these days," Penn Manor attorney Kevin French said. "But it's based on reality."

The lawsuit was filed in January. A federal judge will hold a conference on the case March 31.

Ya gotta laff at them panicy weenie libs.

My son told me a kid in his class had to take off a Cabela's sweatshirt because it showed a gun and a bow.  Ridiculous!!!

Most schools have a dress code, and many prohibit shirts with references to drugs, sex, or violence.  The kid is an ass, as are his parents.  Their trip shouldn't be to a lawyer to sue, it should be to the school board if they are interested in initiating a change in the dress code.  All his parents are doing is teaching him that the rules don't apply to him.

 

School is for learning, not  for kids to "express themselves." If they want to wear that type of clothing, then wear it on weekends or after school. It seems that somewhere along the line people have forgotten that school is a kid's "job." Their job is to learn! What happens when these kids get into the real world? Do they think they can wear shirts with pictures of guns to a job in the corporate world?  

And what is wrong with parents who condone such things? Why don't parents have the guts to tell their kids that they need to follow the rules instead of whining that their precious child is being picked on for not following the rules?