How's what I said UnAmerican. If you want to take your stand, go for it. But accept the consequences. If the kid becomes an icon and there is a mass revolution in the south for allowing clear breaches of the uniform code, great for him!
You miss the bigger point that is being made.
In my view, the original demand was unreasonable as it unfairly impinged on Mr. Frost's ability to express his profoundly-felt allegiance to a team, which he grew up supporting in Indiana, while at the same time allowing and encouraging his peers to express such an allegiance to the team that they had grown up supporting in Louisiana.
This unnecessary restriction was imposed in a forum, a school, where Mr. Frost had a reasonable expectation that he would be allowed to express his reasonable and legitimate allegiance in a reasonable and responsible way when others were being allowed, and indeed encouraged, so to express themselves. This is a classic case of abridging the rights of Free Speech of a minority, which sought only reasonable expression of such rights, while permitting the expression of the majority.
He did this only by wearing a Jersey; he did nothing to disrupt class nor did he behave in an inappropriate or disrespectful manner. He only used his person as a locus for making visible his support of the Colts (a team I despise) in a manner that I hold was protected by the First Amendment.
He even deferred to the request of the Principal to remove the Jersey at the time. Such deference implies and affirms his desire not to be disruptive but it also does not limit a later quest for remedies, informally or in court, in response to the Principal's actions.
It is the school that, I believe, should have to "suffer the consequences" of abridging Free Speech in this case.
Whatever "consequences" have been imposed on Brandon Frost are, in my view and in what I believe would be the view of a Federal Court, consequences that were imposed in response to what was per se an unfair and possibly illegal restraint.
As such, they are subject to expunction from Mr. Frost's record and a simple apology, which would settle the matter without unnecessary litigation.
[Ian, once again, I guess this belongs in a political forum or something.]
