The Easton, Pa. school district has banned two middle school girls from wearing rubber bracelets which simply state "I (heart symbol) boobies!"
The mothers of the two girls have taken the school district to court due to their view that the ban infringes on the girls' First Amendment rights.
The bracelets were purchased as a way to raise awareness for breast cancer and the school district is over-stepping its bounds.
The attorney for the school district said the reason the bracelets were banned was because the school believed the phrase's double entendre is inappropriate for schoolchildren and it took attention away from the children's school lessons. Now, the court case has reached the federal level and schools in other states are awaiting the verdict.
This court case shows how far off the priorities of some schools in this country are. This case should not have reached the federal level. The bracelets were purchased as part of a very good cause, raising awareness of breast cancer. Yes, these bracelets hold a double meaning, as do many current breast cancer awareness messages. However, these bracelets should not be banned.
The schools should be focused on education and should allow the courts to deal with court cases that really are a concern to the well being of our country. The message does not contain any explicit material and is encouraging students to be aware of their bodies as well as the health risks associated with them. If the school is going to ban the bracelets because of their double meaning, why are we teaching sexual education in middle and high school classrooms? Why, if we aren't supposed to say that we love boobies, especially in the context of women's health, are we teaching children more about their bodies? How is it that the social value of the breast cancer bracelets doesn't match the supposed educational value of putting condoms on bananas?
With so many women affected every year by breast cancer, it is absurd that any effort to raise awareness would be stopped. Students should be encouraged to be aware of their bodies.
Schools should go back to what they are supposed to be doing, teaching, not curbing philanthropic efforts and denying the free speech of students while clogging a judicial system that has more important matters to deal with. All women and men should keep themselves aware of the risks they face, not only with regard to breast cancer, but also all life-threatening diseases. I support breast cancer awareness, and I'm not afraid to say "I heart boobies!" and you should too.
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