Rhode Island School Bans Toy Soldier Cap - Page 3

We might as well just switch to white shirt black pants and solid shoes, all individualism is gone, we can't even express patriotism in school? It was a school project. Ban it because it's a hat in school, which here isn't allowed, not because it's got a plastic stick made out to be a gun on it.

Maybe somebody should tell Washington, that the constitution is the constitution and making exceptions to it opens a whole can.

Wouldn't school props for plays be an exception? How about references and pictures of guns and weapons in history books? If they are going to follow the rules that tightly seems it would put a strain on the fabric of education.

the folks that enforced the rules the way they were enforced should be institutionalized they are a danger to themselves and others they should be medicated heavily as well .

  Your party was so bad it gave the dems control of everything. 

I suggest you get out and vote if you don't like it.

Wolf, I agree ... you study war but can't support a soldier does seem hypocritical...

But, keep in mind that it's the STATE that chooses the textbooks, the districts that make their code of conduct.  Least, I'm trying to remember that, it's really annoying but your every day principal, or even super doesn't have that much control over what is taught.  All they really have control over is the environment it is taught in.  And nowadays the primary concerns seem to be test scores and to avoid lawsuits.  That said, it does seem kind of dumb for a teacher to assign a What Is Patriotism project in the first place.  Someone was bound to mention soldiers... that article says this project was for a meeting of pen pals at another school... locally... so, I'm kind of stumped as to what patriotism has to do with a local pen pal meeting... why would the teacher tell kids to make hats that carried messages like that when not only her students, but other school's student's might get in a tizzy?  Did anyone see where the school itself said what the project was?  Maybe it wasn't Patriotism... maybe it was just Make A Hat and this kid (his parents) chose to go this route?  Since the school is covering their bum/respecting privacy laws they aren't talking, only the parents are... so I doubt we'll know for sure.

But I don't feel the kid was really punished for this... he just wasn't allowed to wear the hat with armed soldiers on it... school told them if the armed ones were removed/replaced with unarmed then it was fine... it was the guns they had a problem with, not the soldiers or the message... they could have expelled him for it technically, but they didn't... they offered an alternative that would make him able to still wear it... it was his parents that went nuts and refused to let him fix it so he could wear it... THEY made him wear a plain cap.  Then contacted the media and made a bit tadoo over it.  School made one phone call, To The Parents, to give them honest information, and then left the decision in their hands.

No different really than if I sent my DD to school in spaghetti straps... Not Allowed at all via the dress code we were given on day one... they'd call me and say you can come get her, or bring her another shirt, but she can't be in class with this on.  So, then I'd bring her another shirt (every day of learning matters so she wouldn't be coming home just for that!) and then she'd go about her day.  They wouldn't punish her for it (maybe in high grades?  I donno) but they also wouldn't let her be a distraction to other kids.  And I can accept that, because I know the rules and let her walk out of the house wearing it.  If that makes ANY sense.

As a disabled Vet I find it MORE than distasteful, I find it downright ...............I'll stop before I get any angrier at this STUPID comment!!

I never said anything about Patriotism being political, so please don't misunderstand. I just meant that I don't think the school has a rule against Patriotism, or we wouldn't salute the flag each morning. I think the school has a rule against guns or the displaying of guns. The fact that it was a soldier or that he was trying to be patriotic is not applicable to a "no gun rule" in school. You can't walk around school displaying guns, at least according to this kids' school. Whether they are on a soldier or a criminal doesn't matter. That's where I believe some of you are getting offended. You are looking at this as a "poor kid can't be patriotic" thing. Sure he can. He could have stuck little American Flags all over his hat, but he opted for men with guns. And guns are against the rules. It's got nothing to do with prohibiting his patriotism.


Speckledhen said "Equating a soldier with a murderer is a highly distasteful to me, the wife of a retired Air Force Msgt. It's hardly the same thing. hmm  Surely, you didn't mean that the way it sounded."

What I meant to compare is two men with guns in a school, period. Whether one is a soldier for our country and the other is a criminal (or how about even a simple deer hunter if that's less offensive ) isn't relevant if it's guns that are against the rules. Schools would have a lot of trouble trying to choose which guns are okay to display, and which aren't, so they simply ban bringing or displaying guns in school. It's no disrespect to our military intended. I believe that what started out as a school rule against guns has turned into an argument against Patriotism, and I don't believe that was the intention of the rule in this school.

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For the record, I come from a long line of Military family members, and am proud of and thankful for all who fought and fight to protect my freedom. I in NO way mean this as being "un-patriotic" or "anti-military".

I'm simply saying I think the problem with this kids' hat was the GUN not the SOLDIER.

If you look at the original OP post it says clearly: "Davids teacher phoned his mother, Christan Morales, explaining that the miniature military figures brandishing even tinier, toothpick-sized rifles violated the school district's zero-tolerance weapons policy." They never said anything about the rules being against military or Patriotism, it's simply about the guns. I don't understand why this is getting turned into an anti-patriotic discussion.

Last year DS made a project on the Battle of Gettysberg. Complete with sand, grass and little green plastic men with weapons. He made an A. It sat in the library for weeks with other projects. We have a zero policy, but thankfully they also know when it goes overboard.

Schools only enforce the rules made by the school boards.

Like here on BYC, there might be rules or decisions I don't agree with, but I am bound to uphold them.

If it is important to you, get the rules changed or modified. You can only try and it might get results.