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Students Threatened with Suspension for “Equality” T-Shirt

2000-JUL-8: Virginia

According to the Roanoke Times: Richlands High School is located in southwest Virginia. Student Christopher Henkel alleges that that the school principal, George Brown, threatened him and some of his friends with suspension if they wore T-shirts bearing a pentagram http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_pent.htm and the word "Equality" to school. 2 Although the pentagram and pentacle http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_pent.htm are symbols of the Wiccan faith, Henkel states that he is not a Wiccan. With the support of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, he will plead his right of freedom of speech at Tazewell County School Board meeting on JUL-10. Henkel also alleges that two months ago, he and Helenia Mitchell were instructed to attend a meeting in the principal's office, where they met with Brown, an assistant principal and two uniformed police officers. Henkel said that Brown accused the students of putting up posters promoting Wicca without permission. The students denied posting the literature and said that they were not Wiccans. They referred to two posters that had promoted a local Christian meeting, were also posted without permission, and which were allowed to stay up for weeks. The principal allegedly defended the Christian posters because, in his opinion, they were unlikely to cause disruption in school.