Zero Tolerance for religious symbols
New York public school revokes suspension of Sikh student
One of the five articles of faith in the Sikh religion is the wearing of a kirpan. This is a small replica knife with a dull blade meant to remind the wearer that it is their duty to act against injustice and stand up for the defenseless. The Greenburgh Central School District decided that the kirpan worn by 15 year-old Amandeep Singh was a weapon and suspended him for eight days.
For over seven years, Amandeep attended local public schools and continuously observed all five articles of his faith, including the wearing of the kirpan, without any incident. Many of his teachers were aware of his kirpan and specifically commended him for his dedication to his faith. None ever told him that his kirpan–which was duller than a butter knife and secured underneath his clothes–posed any sort of danger.
Without explanation, school officials suddenly reversed course in February 2005 and declared Amandeep’s kirpan to be a prohibited “weapon.” Moreover, they refused to allow him to set foot on school grounds unless he abandoned his article of faith.
Their method of coercion was an open-ended suspension. Amandeep would not be allowed to return to school as long as he wore a kirpan. As wearing the kirpan is a requirement of the faith this policy would prevent every baptized Sikh from attending schools in the system.
On February 16, Becket Fund and United Sikh lawyers met with School District officials to explain the religious significance of the kirpan and Amandeep’s rights under the First Amendment. The parties quickly reached an agreement that both protects the religious freedom of Amandeep (and other Sikh students) and addresses school safety concerns.
Amandeep agreed to wear a smaller kirpan of two inches in length that would be securely fastened under his clothes in a cloth pouch. He also agreed to allow school officials to make reasonable inspections to confirm his adherence to the conditions. The school agreed to expunge Amandeep’s record of the suspension and to ensure that no disciplinary action remains on his record. Today, Superintendent Josephine Moffett gave her final approval to the agreement.
I don’t know that I would count this as the ringing success that the Becket Fund does. The school is desperate to enforce a rule that is nonsensical and the settlement indicates that their concern has merit. It does not. Amandeep’s original kirpan was not a danger. It was a dull piece of metal less than three inches long with a one inch handle. It was not a weapon and was not hazardous. It violated no laws and no reasonable rules.
Now he has agreed to let the school dictate what religious symbol he will wear, how he will wear it (as a hidden symbol of faith?), and what additional steps are required in order to do so. He also must submit to personal inspections without cause.
Amandeep was completely in the right and his representatives have effectively stated that he was partially wrong.
Contact Information:
Josephine N. Moffett, Superintendent of Schools
Stephanie W. Bellino, Board President
Ron Sanossian, Board Vice President
Charles Bronz, Board Trustee
Michele Figueroa, Board Trustee
Ivy Greene, Board Trustee
Lloyd Newland, Board Trustee
Susan Penchansky, Board Trustee
Sally Schaadt, Board Trustee
Terry Williams, Board Trustee
(Tip credit to Opinion Journal)
Ahhha yet another reason why a student would bring a knife to school. So now the door is opened for boyscouts to start bringing their pocket knives to school.
while in and of itself the Boyscouts is not a religion but it is a set of structured beiefs written and lived by a vast amount of people, wherein one of the formost tennets of this belief system is the unquestionable need to always be prepaired.
Sorry I just dont see need to forbid pocket knives at school in the first place.
Actually, this seems like a good outcome. The kid exercises his religious faith and the school concern over weapons is dealt with.
I’ve read of some cases in Canada where the students have been denied the right to wear one at all — and given the recent love affiar that SCOTUS has had with foreign laws and foreign court decisions, I wouldn’t want to litigate this one all the way to the highest court in the land.
If the young gentleman really wanted to ruffle some feathers, he could have skipped the first, and proceeded to the next amendment in our fine bill of rights.
The right to own weapons is the right to be free, and the phrasing of the kirpan’s article of faith reflects this.
damaged justice -
If he had gone on to the Second Amendment…
1. Schools are generally allowed to prohibit weapons on their campuses. You can own it, you just can’t bring it with you.
2. If he had tried to go with the 2nd Amendment, he would have been ADMITTING to the school that it was a weapon.
As someone who went to the Greenburgh School District (though not the school in question), I was surprised to see the article in the local paper. Althoug not mentioned in the online versions of the articles (see URLs below), I recall that the print version mentioned that it was an interim principal/administrator that started the whole thing. The kid had worn the kirpan for years, and his teachers knew about it, and knew it wasn’t a “weapon”. I also recall something about the kirpan already being worn under the clothes, though I may be mistaken about that.
I am glad to see that they expunged his records of this suspension.
URLs:
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050316/NEWS08/503160336/-1/spider
http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050317/OPINION01/503170315/-1/spider
The article mentions that the kirpan is duller than the oft-mentioned butter knives which many children have been suspended or expelled for having on their person.
Anything can be a weapon, and the most important weapon is the mind. Hence, these so-called “schools” do their utmost to dull the edges of our children’s minds into butter knives, to discourage them from exercising individual judgement and personal responsibility, and to teach the fundamental lesson that violence is only acceptable if performed in the service of the State and to further the State’s goals.
The important part here may be that the knife will now be hidden. And the requirement that it be completely hidden may be why he’s now wearing a smaller knife, too. I could see the school worrying that if the sheathed knife were ever in view, other kids were going to demand parity, or just assume with a little wishful thinking that it must be ok to wear a knife if Amandeep could do it. Kids can get amazingly uptight about perceived inequity, and if I were a teacher I would much prefer to keep the issue from coming up in the first place.
Of course he’s going to have more problems in the future. The next time there’s a substitute administrator they could get him for carrying a concealed weapon.
So, now he’s going to be satisfied with some school official groping under his clothes to check the size of his knife LOL! I hope they realize the potential liability they might incur.
“some school official groping under his clothes to check the size of his knife LOL”
LOL, indeed:
Is a bigger kirpan than you should have in your pocket, or are you just enjoying this inspection a little too much?
Sometimes a kirpan is just a kirpan.
Are you a Sikh or are you just happy to see teacher?
Why should Amandeep put with some cretinous school official groping him? Why doesn’t he just make sure that the suspension is off his record, and flip the New Jersey State Bird (even though this is NY)to the principal and get out of there?
I think that is only fair because its apart of his religion. One the fact that some people might not agree with it is because of saftey reasons, that like saying that you dont trust them the ones that celebrate and cherish their relight isnt it not? Your also saying that you dont trust him because hes apart of a cretian religions and that he wants to celebrate his culture. If you dont agree with this then think about it. when your sitting at the dinner table with your famil or friends holding a steak knife… it dostn mean that you going to stab them or injure them.