Kentucky: School Dress Codes & Muslim Students

More and more public schools are starting to institute strict dress codes. Should students be able to ignore the rules when they have religious garb they want to wear? Many want to allow it, but if they allow religious exemptions and no others, then they end up favoring religion - and that's just as wrong.

The Courier-Journal reports on a mother who took her son out of a school that disciplined him for not following the dress code, despite allowing Muslims to violate it:

Lisa Whiteside, whose son was a senior, began her protests outside Bullitt Central last week after learning that two Muslim students who had enrolled after winter break had been allowed to wear a hijab, a traditional head scarf that covers the hair and neck. Whiteside said her son was given in-school suspension for wearing a white button-down shirt.

The dress code also prohibits "headwear," including hats, visors, bandannas and sunglasses. But Farris said federal protections of such religious garments as hijabs override the dress code. Whiteside said her son was turned away from the school Thursday when he wore a T-shirt with the words "FBI" and "Firm Believer In Christ" on it.

It's not legal to give one religious exemption to a rule while denying other religions an exemption. It's also not legal to give a religious exemption to a rule while denying any non-religious exemptions. Both actions impermissibly favor one religion over others or favor religion over non-religion. The students support the exemptions for the Muslim girls, which is nice, but if they also take the position that these girls deserve an exemption denied to others, then that's not so nice.

Read More:

• Separation of Church and State 101
• Church and State News
• Religion in Public Schools
• Islam
• Women in Islam