You know, a teacher wearing an anti-war button to a school function wouldn't perterb me so much if they weren't constantly sending kids home, suspending them, or having them turn their shirts inside out for wearing clothing that they deem improper. As Jefferson County (Colo.) School Board puts it, students must not wear clothing "at school or school-sanctioned activities or events that is or will be disruptive to the educational environment." In the student guide, the school board does say that students have basic rights, which include the right to express themselves with political buttons and banners. But then they say "except that the principal, or designee, may regulate expression, provided the regulation is based on legitimate educational concerns." That doesn't sound like freedom to me. Imagine if the First Amendment said "except when the President, or his designee feels your expression is disruptive."

An eleventh grader at Legacy High School in nearby county of Broomfield Colorado found out exactly how principals regulate those freedoms of expression. He was "suspended because he put up fliers in the hallway advocating [a] strike after the school suggested he put the leaflets on a community table." Imagine the government handing you a trash can and saying 'You can only post your bills here.'

I'm not suggesting that the school board has a double standard, merely that they enforce their standards selectively. After all, the same school district that told reporters "teachers have the same First Amendment rights as all Americans," and said that they would not require the teacher to remove her button, have their own dress code for teachers and staff. The dress code specifically states that teachers and staff must wear clothing that "promotes a working and learning environment that is free from unnecessary disruption."

Of course, if they don't enforce it, what's the point?