April 1 2002

ARTICLE TOOLS

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The following are not allowed in classrooms: Unprescribed dark glasses, spikes, gang-related clothing, other clothing accessories which promote drugs, alcohol, tobacco, profanity, or Satanism," the Kaimuki [Hawaii] High School rules and regulations tell each student. Scratch that last one—it's unconstitutional. "If you can wear a shirt that says 'Jesus loves you,' you should be able to wear a shirt that has a pentagram on it," Mitchell Kahle, director of Hawaii Citizens for the Separation of State and Church, told KITV. After Kahle complained, the school quickly relented. Of course, not all schools allow shirts that say "Jesus loves you." The same day that Kaimuki High changed its policy, a kindergartner in Saratoga Springs, New York, had to obtain a federal judge's order simply to say grace aloud before eating lunch. Charles Haynes of the Freedom Forum says such instances are more often cases of ignorance than anti-Christian bias. Would-be culture warriors should spend their time preparing teachers instead of fighting, he wrote in a syndicated column.

Charles Haynes's column is available on the Freedom Forum Web site.

A web version of the Kaimuki High School student handbook is available on the school site.

Related news coverage includes:

High School Faces Fight Over Satan Reference — KITV 4 (Feb. 6, 2002

School code decisions take different stances on religion — Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Feb. 6, 2002