ACLU says Pa. school wrong to ban T-shirt protest

[The Straight Story]

ACLU says Pa. school wrong to ban T-shirt protest

The Associated Press

PALMERTON, Pa. - The American Civil Liberties Union says an eastern Pennsylvania school district was wrong to reprimand students who wore T-shirts protesting a new dress code.

Dozens of students showed up to class Tuesday in the Palmerton Area School District last week wearing white shirts emblazoned with "Property of PHS" and their student identification numbers. Students were told to remove them or face in-school suspensions, and at least one student said he was suspended for refusing to change his shirt.

ACLU staff attorney Valerie Burch of the Harrisburg office said Palmerton officials overstepped their bounds, and at least one suspended student has been in touch with the ACLU.

Palmerton students have been protesting a new dress code that bans piercings in any body part other than the ears and limits the coloring of hair.

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20090920_ap_aclusayspaschoolwrongtobantshirtprotest.html