Mother fights to have district allow her daughter to keep shirt untucked...BUT.......

[kaorder1999]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/04-09/irvmom-small.jpg


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

07:06 AM CDT on Thursday, April 23, 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."

[kaorder1999]

isn't her childs hair braided?

[scrub c]

Fat people and slobs don't like their shirts tucked in.

[wildstangs]

Notice she said she doesn't go to church often either because she cant afford a nice dress. I go in jeans most of the time.

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by kaorder1999
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. To me this alone would negate her request for her daughter's exemption. Something tells me that God is not overly concerned about what you wear to church. If she wants to start quoting Scripture, then I would ask her about Hebrews 10:25 which says "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

There's nothing in there about dressing in a certain way to meet with other believers. It seems like (from my perspective) that she is just using Scripture to get what she wants.

[STANG RED]

Let me see if I have this straight.
She claims to be a christian (at her convenience), pulls out a Bible verse to support her position, but has to use someone else even for that, but does not attend church regulary because she cant afford a nice dress (like God really cares about that), and she has already had a running feud with the principle of the school. I think that about covers it. Well, all except for that whole seperation of church and state thingy.
It's no wonder why some people are so put off by some who claim to be a christian. :rolleyes:

[garciap77]

Originally posted by scrub c
Fat people and slobs don't like their shirts tucked in.


Neither do skinny people and thugs!:D




P.S. Almost forgot; And scrubs too!:D




;)

[waterboy]

Exactly. There's no way I'm buying her excuses. That kid needs to follow the dress code just like every other kid has to. Her religious beliefs are invalid as far as I'm concerned. What message is she sending her daughter? "Hey, I don't have to follow your rules if I don't want to....or.......I can make up any 'ol lame excuse to get out of it, too, as long as I make it out to be a religious thing....or.......I don't go to church because I ain't got no pretty clothes." I wear jeans to church all the time, and I go to church every Sunday, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and any other time they have church, so I don't think there's any validity in her claims, but I digress....that's just me.;)

[Bearkat]

What a joke!!! Quit crying and tuck your dang shirt in. It's a rule, follow it.

[Johnny Utah]

Part of the problem with our society these days. Rules are rules, but someone somewhere wants to circumvent rules for their own purposes. The decline of our society as a whole. Before you know it the Color of School Busses will be changed due to the fact a parent somewhere says their children can not ride on a bus that color. THIS IS GETTING CRAZIER EVERY YEAR!

[44INAROW]

Originally posted by Bearkat
What a joke!!! Quit crying and tuck your dang shirt in. It's a rule, follow it.

Exactly what I was thinking ;)

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by Johnny Utah
Part of the problem with our society these days. Rules are rules, but someone somewhere wants to circumvent rules for their own purposes. The decline of our society as a whole. Before you know it the Color of School Busses will be changed due to the fact a parent somewhere says their children can not ride on a bus that color. THIS IS GETTING CRAZIER EVERY YEAR! "Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N."

[KingRob]

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."



The last words are costly clothing, but she doesn't go to church on a regular basis because she can't afford a new dress! What a fake! I kinda feel bad for the kid. She is in for some tough teen years with big mama making sure her butt is covered all the time!

[Z-RO]

I am not saying she is right or wrong, however my question is how does tucking in your shirt enhance your learning ability? I can understand wanting the children to look nice, but this just takes away from their individuality in my opinion. Children are always told to be unique and be their own person but this is not the case when you are making them all look alike. Now I am not saying come in looking all slummy, but tucked in shirts, khakis, and a belt is just too much….that’s just my opinion.

[Phantom Stang]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/04-09/irvmom-small.jpg
In my humble(but usually right:p) opinion, the girl in this picture looks presentable for school. ?How anyone interprets scripture is their business. As a matter of fact, I find it refreshing that a Christian can be successful with claiming religious reasons for what her child wears to school.

By the way, I can remember a time in the Sweetwater schools, when if a girl wore pants to school, the top HAD to cover her butt. My how times have changed.:dispntd:

[duckhunter]

Originally posted by Phantom Stang
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/04-09/irvmom-small.jpg



how YOU doin?