Kids say school took shirt off backs | Chicago Tribune

Kids say school took shirt off backs

By Ana Beatriz Cholo
Tribune staff reporter
Published February 6, 2004

Several parents and their children filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court, saying the children's 1st Amendment rights were violated last year when they were not allowed to wear a T-shirt bearing the word "Gifties" at a Chicago public school.

The controversy began during the 8th graders' annual T-shirt design contest at Beaubien School, 5025 N. Laramie Ave., the lawsuit said.

About 80 students are in the class, with a third of them enrolled in the Regional Gifted Center program. Votes were cast for the best shirt design among 20 submitted, but there was a revote, the lawsuit said.

Sara Van Enck, a parent and one of the plaintiffs in the case, said the second vote was taken because the principal didn't like the shirt that Van Enck believes the students originally chose--a figure of a boy giving a "thumbs up" sign with his left hand. His right hand held a leash with a bulldog, the school's mascot, on the end of it.

More at the Chicago Tribune

the term 'Gifties' mean?

it's a really rather poorly written he-said-she-said style narative... but explains gifties.

FYI.

"ANYBODY BUT BUSH" Buttons, Stickers & Magnets

Registration required newspaper sites, it's free.

That guy Kotis should be run out of town.

WTF does he expect gifted kids to do???? Be automatons?

"Hunk" or "Hottie" shirts.. ntm the band camp slogan shirts like:

Sexy Pitches
Kicking Brass
Bad sax is better than no sax at all
The lower you go, the harder you blow


Something is not right there.