It's Official, Plymouth Canton Schools is Allowing Kirpan
Posted Jan 30 2011 12:18am
Remember back in December when I blogged about the 4th grade student that wore a Kirpan on him in school? If not, you can read those posts here and here .
Well...it's official. The powers that be in the Plymouth Canton Community School District IS allowing children who are baptized into the Sikh religion to wear a Kirpan KNIFE on them during school hours, while on school property. Rather than send an actual note home with all the students, the district chickened out and just slapped the following note up on their website
In December we informed you of a situation at one of our elementary schools in which a student was found wearing a religious emblem that resembles a small decorative sword, called a kirpan. At the time, we told you that our attorneys were reviewing both state and federal laws, as well as Board policies with regard to the prohibition of weapons or look-a-like weapons in any of its buildings. We said we would explore options that will ensure safety and best protect the rights of all students.
After an extensive review of all laws and policies pertaining to this issue, we have developed an accommodation plan that will address the situation. While our school district is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all of our students, we must also balance the rights of students to express and practice their religion. In light of the strict scrutiny standard applied by Michigan courts in determining whether an individual’s right to freely exercise his or her religion has been violated, the District will amend its blanket restriction against wearing the kirpan in school.
Starting Monday, January 31, 2011, baptized students of the Sikh faith will be allowed to wear the kirpan at school with the following conditions:
Any kirpan worn at school should be sewn inside a sheath in such a way that the blade cannot be removed from the sheath.
The blade of the kirpan is restricted in length to no more than two and one-fourth inches. This would take the object outside the scope of the Revised School Code’s definition of a knife constituting a dangerous weapon.
The blade of the kirpan must be dull.
The kirpan should not be worn on the outside of the clothing and should not be visible in any way.
It will not be the practice of staff members to conduct random searches for the possession of kirpans. However, students who violate any of the above will be subject to discipline including a prohibition on wearing the kirpan to school in the future.
We have spent the past month working successfully with members of the local Sikh community to address District concerns. School officials are confident that these new administrative guidelines ensure a safe school environment and provide Sikh students the right to exercise their religion freely.
This bothers me for several reasons. For one thing, it wasn't too long ago that different groups were trying to ban the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance simply because it had the word "God" in it. How is it that the people in the Plymouth Canton district that belong to the Sikh religion need to be respected for their religious beliefs, but saying the word "God" needed to be banned? Makes no sense. At least the word God can't hurt someone...a knife can, even a dull one.
Children have the RIGHT to feel safe when they are at school. Sure they can get hurt by a wide variety of school supplies...blunt scissors, pencils, etc. But those are things that are needed to succeed in school. It is not NEEDED to just out and out allow a child to wear a knife, dull or not, on them during school hours.
What makes me the angriest is the fact that the same school district that is allowing the Kirpan to be worn by children baptized into the Sikh religion, is not allowing children to bring in plastic, HOLLOW knives, guns, swords on Halloween as part of their costume. Sure Halloween is not a religious holiday, but if you are going to allow one exception to the weapon rule...
What I think happened here is...the district does not have the balls to stick by their ruling of NO weapons on school property ruling. You can be tolerant of others differences and religions without compromising your rules.
Well...it's official. The powers that be in the Plymouth Canton Community School District IS allowing children who are baptized into the Sikh religion to wear a Kirpan KNIFE on them during school hours, while on school property. Rather than send an actual note home with all the students, the district chickened out and just slapped the following note up on their website
Children have the RIGHT to feel safe when they are at school. Sure they can get hurt by a wide variety of school supplies...blunt scissors, pencils, etc. But those are things that are needed to succeed in school. It is not NEEDED to just out and out allow a child to wear a knife, dull or not, on them during school hours.
What makes me the angriest is the fact that the same school district that is allowing the Kirpan to be worn by children baptized into the Sikh religion, is not allowing children to bring in plastic, HOLLOW knives, guns, swords on Halloween as part of their costume. Sure Halloween is not a religious holiday, but if you are going to allow one exception to the weapon rule...