PINE BLUFF - The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas on Friday filed notice that it would appeal a federal judge's finding that the Watson Chapel School District's student apparel policy is constitutional.
Chief U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes has ruled that the apparel policy is constitutional because the school district didn't intend to prohibit free speech when it created the policy.
Holly Dickson, an attorney with the ACLU, however, said the policy does prohibit speech because it doesn't permit students to expressthemselves.
For example, she said students weren't permitted to wear ribbons to show their sorrow for a slain classmate.
Earlier this month, the school district decided it would appeal Holmes' decision that the district violated students' free speech by punishing them for wearing black armbands to school last year during a protest of the district's uniform policy.
The district is also appealing another ruling involving a school policy that makes students get approval before handing out literature on campus. The judge ruled that policy was a "per se violation of freespeech," according to the notice of appeal.
The rulings will be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit in St. Louis.
On Oct. 6, 2006, about 31 Watson Chapel High School and Junior High students wore black armbands to school to protest what they described as an overbearing dress code and inconsistent enforcement of the code.
The ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of three of the students last year.
Lawyers for the Watson Chapel School District were unavailable for comment Friday.
Arkansas, Pages 14 on 10/27/2007