That no matter what you do some nutjob will be alarmed by it or offended by it.

Really...haha...and we(not me)think the headscarf is wrong?

Once again...proof that religious fundamentalist of any stripe are extreme, scary and scared.

Mother uses Bible verse on modesty to fight Irving ISD dress code requiring tucked-in shirts

11:41 PM CDT on Wednesday, April 22, 2009

By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
kunmuth@dallasnews.com

Dyker Neyland says she fought for her daughter's right to attend Irving's Thomas Haley Elementary School wearing an untucked shirt because of her religious beliefs as a Christian.

The Irving school board agreed with her this week and overturned decisions by the principal and district administrators, who had told Neyland that her daughter, Javé, must attend school with her shirt tucked in.

Neyland says Javé, a 7-year-old second-grader, has the right to wear her shirttail out because of a Bible verse, 1 Timothy 2:9, which dictates that "women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing."

"I don't want her behind showing," Neyland said. "I don't want her body being exposed."

It's all a matter of interpretation. Many private religious schools enforce tucked-in shirts as well.

The school board's waiver for Neyland raises an important question: Does anyone who cites Scripture get a pass on the dress requirement?

"I feel I am being persecuted for being a Christian," she told the board before the vote. "There will be a day of reckoning, and you will have to answer to God."

School board president Jerry Christian supported her request and said the student handbook for parents doesn't even mention anything about tucking shirts in. Therefore, it's unclear, he said

"Thank you, Jesus. God is good!" Neyland cried out.

The school board agreed with Neyland on a 6-1 vote. Board member Randy Stipes provided the lone vote against Neyland. He was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Neyland said she was raised Baptist in Louisiana but does not attend church regularly since she cannot afford to buy a nice dress. She is a single mother. Melba Jackson, who cited the same verse in getting Irving's Barton Elementary to allow her daughter to wear her shirt untucked, helped her with her argument.

The school district has a dress code but allows individual campuses that require uniforms the flexibility to adopt their own dress requirements for students.

All Irving elementary and middle schools require uniforms. According to the district's Web site, elementary children are required to wear collared shirts or blouses tucked in with khaki or navy pants or skirts. Shirts are allowed to be white, light and navy blue, hunter green or an authorized school shirt.

The district's attorney, James Deatherage, said that in Texas, parents may get exemptions to uniform rules if they cite religious beliefs.

Christian, the board president, said the rule is in place mostly so students appear neat and not "sloppily in dress" at school.

Irving assistant to the superintendent Ralph Diaz, who represented the district's side in the hearing, said the dress rule is "consistent with all students."

"It's part of a dress requirement similar to a belt," he said.

Neyland has repeatedly clashed with the school's new principal, Lisa Molinar, at one point wearing a sign accusing her of being a dictator. Molinar said she had no comment on the situation.

Several board members mentioned their religious beliefs before voting, though their interpretation of the Scripture differed from Neyland's.

"I'm a Christian," said trustee Valerie Jones. "There could be a Christian who believes it might be more modest for their child's shirt to be tucked in than not to be tucked in. ... There is room for interpretation even amongst Christians."

wow, wonder if I cite different verses can I get out of other laws/rules/regulations

I'm probably going to stir a hornets' nest here, but eh.

Rational argument could be that if the woman objected that much to the uniform, she could send her daughter elsewhere for an education. However, if that is not an option, then.....

Why is she a "nutjob" for her beliefs? Yes, it's just a shirt, but classifying her as crazy for it seems a bit extreme to me. After all, the words "under God" in the Pledge are just two words, yet they continually come up in arguments about keeping church and state separate. Rather than being content to simply instruct their children to not say those two words, people use it to grandstand against religion (or even the hint of religion) being present in schools.

If people have the right NOT to practice any hint of religious beliefs, then why wouldn't the opposite hold true, especially regarding something as innocuous as allowing a child to leave her shirt untucked?

Ironic - My child attends a Christian school. They wear uniforms and have to have their shirts tucked in so the student's appear neat and not sloppy. lol

I feel sorry for that 7 year old.

The words "under God" are not part of the original pledge but were in fact added in the 1950's.

There is extensive information on this available on the net so I won't go on.

Why is she a nutjob? Because she is acting in the extreme.

Can you imagine what sort of adult that kind of over zealousness will produce? One shudders to think. This child is seven...and her mother feels an untucked shirt that allows the outline of her buttocks to be seen through a skirt or pants is offensive, revealing or obscene?

Oh...and I have a question. Are you defending this woman because she identifies as a Christian? Because I have seen many attack Muslim parents when they wanted their children to wear head scarfs to school.

Like Winxter I feel damned sorry for this child.

Muslims girls in the schools cover their heads here....so why should this mom's beliefs be questioned? it's her belief for her daughter (regardless of how silly some might view it) and it's her right

So would it be okay for my kid...say I am a Whambattian (made up religion) that feels it glorifies God to be nude...to attend school unclothed?

That would be as potentially injurious to the child as the over zealous mother in this case I think but honestly...why not?

What extremes are okay?

This I truly want to know, where does one draw the line?

_____________________________________________________________________

Right here Ms Franshade.
I think all schools should be required to wear uniforms. That way, they could all look and think alike

My child hasn't always worn school uniforms. They do now. I like them.

funny very funny - but most schools do require uniforms now a days.

now for all to think alike - that's impossible!!!

Uniforms are wrong as far as I am concerned.

Children and teens should be able to experiment with clothing, hair and other forms of personal expression while they are young. There's plenty of time in the future when as adults they will have to wear uniforms while they labor.

Life is short...

True, but I found it quite economical and my daughter had ample time to express herself/style after school and on weekends.

The ones who want to think for themselves can be sent to retraining camps.

Here is one in the Miami area. Take a look at their logo. It's the left arm outstretched but, strikes a familiar resemblance to someone I've heard of before.
http://www.gmscmiami.com/

I see both sides. My child is in elementary school. They went to one school that had uniforms. Then they went to another school that didn't. But..the new school changed to uniforms the 2nd year that my child was there.

I, too, found the uniforms to be economical. My child has many places to dress non-uniform when they get out of school.

I also like this part. There are people at the school that have a lot more money then I do. I can't afford to dress my child like that everyday. Now my child looks equal to the rest of the children.

There are ways to jazz up the uniforms and put one's personality into them.

I'd say I am with you on this one for a couple of reasons. Kids now focus too much on everything else in school but their studies. A uniform does not change who a kid is, if that was the case I would still be a christian. Uniforms make easier on the parents moneywise, and put the focus on learning and not one what so an so is wearing, no problem with it.

Uniforms as that willing showed is a different mindset in my opinion. We don't have to see everything as socialist, sometimes it's just practical. What these kids are taught is more important. Maybe I am wrong, but just don't see a problem with kids wearing uniforms especially today when kids are often not focused.

since she is not saying everyone has to leave their shirt untucked...so what. she doesn't want her daughter's shirt tucked in because of her beliefs...so what. again, it's not forcing everyone to untuck their shirts

Isn't that teaching the child to not follow the rules?

I truly feel sorry for this child and the negative attention that they are receiving.

if i read the OP correctly...it said the rules weren't clear

School board president Jerry Christian supported her request and said the student handbook for parents doesn't even mention anything about tucking shirts in. Therefore, it's unclear, he said

she's not asking to wear something different or saying everyone should do as she does. she is expressing her right and at least not suing off the bat. if this is part of her belief....why not??? the schools give other beliefs their rights too....

Did you miss this part of the article?

"School board president Jerry Christian supported her request and said the student handbook for parents doesn't even mention anything about tucking shirts in."