From :

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_cartoon_soc...bZDjB6luh0jr7sF


"Officials in a Northern California school district might not think Tiggers are such wonderful things after agreeing to pay $95,000 in lawyers' fees to five families who sued the school over its dress code.
The parents went to court after a student was disciplined for wearing socks with the "Winnie the Pooh" cartoon character Tigger on the first day of school last year.

The district's superintendent said Thursday that the settlement money is for the plaintiffs' lawyers; the district is also on the hook to pay the lawyers it hired.

The settlement also says Redwood Middle School may no longer require students to wear only solid-color clothing."

This is stupid. I mean although the school are being really fussy over a uniform the parents should know the importance of a good school uniform. It's like coming into an office in denim jeans with holes in them and a scruffy unironed shirt

I have to agree!

why would they want to go to court over this?

Why were the parents making the kid wear such short pants in the first place? that's just cruel. His ankles would have been cold.

So the school had some dress code rules. Some parents thought they (and their child) were somehow exempt from the rules. The school ends up paying $95,000.

Whatever happened to teaching your child to respect authority and follow the rules?

That doesn't happen now. Why else would there be so many kids in trouble with the law? It's ridiculous. There are rules for a reason. If the parents didn't like it, they could have switched schools.

Looks good on the school and its over oppressing authority, how about just teaching and forget about assimilation

"The dispute received national attention when seventh-grade student Toni Kay Scott was removed from class in 2006 for wearing a denim skirt and socks with the Winnie the Pooh character Tigger. Her sister was reprimanded for wearing a T-shirt with the words "Jesus Freak."

The school's 9-year-old appropriate attire policy allowed only certain colors and banned logos, patterns, pictures and jeans. Napa County Superior Court Judge Raymond Gaudagni issued a preliminary injunction in July against enforcement of the attire policy at the school, ruling it was broad and restrictive.

The school district appealed and the Court of Appeal referred the case back to mediation. The parties attended a mediation session Wednesday and the Napa district approved the agreement Thursday night.

Under the settlement agreement, any future dress codes that limit colors, fabrics or patterns will only be implemented as part of a school uniform that allows parents to opt out, the ACLU said. The Napa families also complained the policy had no opt-out provisions.

The district will not prohibit lettering or pictures unless allowed by the state Education Code 48907 which protects free speech rights of California school students, according to the ACLU." source

CA State Education Code 48907

What a waste of resources. Just another glaring problem with the public education system, especially in California.

I think we need to remove lawsuits for crap like this. Unless its threating, racist, and complete and uder sexist, something this simple should just be counter sued by the defendant. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA im loving the idea of my own IDEA!! WOO KHAOZ!!

I got in trouble once in 7th grade for wearing a Xmas Loony Tunes sweater. I had to wear it inside out. My mom & I thought it was stupid. I was never fond of the dress code.

Did you know that if Snoop Doggy Dogg married Winnie The Pooh, he'd be known as as Snoop Doggy Dogg Pooh........o.k. I'm sorry...

its america... you gotsa sue for some irrelivant reason..

like slipping on wet floors while trying to rescue a drowned child, or hot coffee accidently pouring in your lap (by yourself), there is always some halfwit that will try and find a mean for their gains

It sure seems that way, doesn't it?

You guys think that's bad. When I was in the 6th grade the middle school I was going to was the only school in the district that required uniforms.

there is nothing wrong with uniforms... i think kids are better off wearing them, that way they arent shunned by what fashion they wear. that way there is conformity. and hopefully it teaches them rules and respect.. something of which a lot of kids arent being taught anymore

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them. This was a public school though. If you are going to make public school kids wear uniforms it should be district wide. Not just one school.

yea fair enough llg thats up to the schools and quite possibly the state to decide.. when i went to school (public) we had a uniform.. as did all the public schools. they werent as strict as the private schools as in the socks and shoes you had to wear.. but was still enforced

Same when I was in fifth grade, however I'd just come in wearing the polo shirt with whatever pants or skirt I wanted to. Teachers would tell me off whenever I walked past them, but they gave up after a few months and I continued to wear what I wanted to right up until high school (for us it's year 7). The thing is, I wouldn't have minded their uniform pants if not for the fact that they were like cardboard I didn't realize the kid in question went to a public school, I thought it was private. I love colourful, cartoonish socks, and I'm 22. The parents were stupid to got to court though, they could have just sorted it out with the principal. They just wanted some $$.

I can not believe that there are people like this. Just follow the code or don't go to that school.

What if there is no other choice? Like the school I went to in the 6th grade. That was was the only middle school within 20 miles. I guarentee you my parents would not driven me to a private school in the next town.

when i went to shcool, afer about 9th grade, dress code was droped, i wore anything i pleased, and so did everyone else, here you get thrown out for wearing wrong socks, the whole d.c. is stupid, dept of ed should make more usefull rules, not b.s. rules like dress code, no wonder kids hate shcool, and have no respect for teachers, and everyone else around. but hey but they odey the rules, they wear solid color socks, what a frigging joke.(the dept of ed.)

This is the dumbest thing I've read today (and its a monday)..

First of all the school is stupid for having such a strict dress code, start worrying about giving these kids an education and not what they are wearing...unless its promoting violence/drugs/sex then its none of your buisness.

And that "Follow the rules or go somewhere else" arguement is assinine (sp_), the kids have a right to an education, and chances are that that public school is their ONLY sane option (privateschools/homeschooling my ass)

Also, WHO THE HELL WOULD TAKE THIS TO COURT FOR 95grand? Everyone is losing cash (taxpayers/school/family) just work together on changing the rules..

Gosh darnit!

When I went to one Catholic school I got suspended for wearing a Bad Religion shirt. Go figure.

ME TOO!!!! another kid at my school got suspended for having a godsmack shirt. Eventually, when more and more people started wearing the shirts, they realized that they were just bands, and stopped caring. While I didn't like getting suspended for it, at least I understood why they had an issue with it.

Public school shouldn't have dresscodes, that's a bit ridiculous. Even though I don't agree with it, it makes sense that they would have an issue with the Jesus Freak shirt, if you can't pray in American schools, you probably shouldn't wear a religious shirt, but tigger socks? That's just the school going on a power trip. Even schools with uniforms generally let kids wear whatever socks they want.

Like I said, I was never fond with the dress code. I couldn't be myself. I was glad my high school didn't have one, I got to wore what I like.



I bet I'll get in trouble anywhere for wearing a shirt with this saying:

"I support political incorrectness"

that's a cute shirt idea. My little sister and I have this shirt, and it tends to get mixed reactions when we wear them in the states. Lately the reactions have been more positive though haha