FREE POOH

Schools go too far when 'bong' signs and Tigger get bounced What do
Tigger and a sign that reads "Bong hits 4 Jesus" have in common?

They're both at the center of American Civil Liberties Union court
battles over students and their right of expression. They're also the
latest examples of controlling school administrators trying to
protect students from something. From what, well, we're not sure.
Maybe Heffalumps.

In the Tigger case, 14-year-old Toni Kay Scott is suing because
Redwood Middle School in Napa punished her for wearing knee socks
with the image of Winnie-the-Pooh's bouncy friend.

School officials say the Tigger socks violated the school's dress
code which bans anything with an emblem, logo or pattern. The
stringent clothing policy somehow relates to the school's desire to
cut down on gang affiliations. If you're having a hard time imaging
gang members hanging out with Piglet hoodies, so are we.

Courts have held in the past that schools have the right to ban
certain items of student clothing but usually only when the object is
vulgar, offensive or potentially disruptive.

Tiggers certainly can cause a disturbance. But even the residents of
the Hundred Acre Wood would agree that the Tigger that appears on
shirts and socks is hardly a bother.

The same can be said for the 'bong' banner that a principal in
Juneau, Alaska abruptly took down in 2002 - even though the student
involved was displaying it off of school grounds. The principal then
compounded the mistake by suspending the student, Joseph Frederick,
for 10 days.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rightly ruled that the principal
violated Frederick's First Amendment rights. Last week, the case went
before the U.S. Supreme Court which should rule in a similar fashion.

School lawyers argue that the principal was justified in taking
action because the banner, which they contend endorsed marijuana use,
conflicted with the school's anti-drug messages. But the high court
should be wary of endorsing such a far-reaching interpretation of a
school's authority to infringe on student's free speech. This
essentially could give principals' veto power over student Web
postings and letters as well.

Both of these cases involved innocuous student actions that
necessitated a turn of the head by school administrators. But because
they weren't overlooked, school administrators are now on the
defensive, explaining their own actions and policies that make less
sense than a sign that reads "Bong hits 4 Jesus."

As a bear of little brain once said, "Don't underestimate the value
of doing nothing ..."