Do students have the right to wear religious garb or display religious symbols on their persons?
Short answer: Yes, unless the school has instituted a dress code for nondiscriminatory purposes that has the incidental effect of prohibiting religious symbols or messages on clothing, and unless there is a compelling state interest (such as health and safety concerns) justifying such a prohibition. Example: A student may not be prohibited from wearing a necklace with a cross on it. However, a student belonging to a violent right-wing group that has adopted a large black cross as its emblem may be prohibited from wearing a T-shirt displaying this emblem to school, if there is a demonstrable link between the wearing of the symbol and disruption in the school, and the school has therefore adopted a dress code prohibiting it. Explanation: In general, a school may enforce dress code prohibitions. The Department of Education guidelines state that schools may prohibit certain types of student garb as long as the rules are religiously neutral and generally applicable. Realizing the difficulti
