"Boobies" bracelets: Still Ok for kids to wear at school
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August 5, 2013 - Governor's Honors Program: Caught in feud between Deal and Barge? Will the feud turn into a race?
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August 3, 2013
It’s a bit hard to believe this matter went all the way to a federal appeals court, but it did. More than two years ago, I wrote on the blog about the national tussle over "boobies" bracelets in schools. Schools were banning the breast cancer awareness bracelets, which announce "I (heart) boobies."
In Pennsylvania, the issue ended up in court in 2011 where a federal judge issued a preliminary ruling that the bracelets are not lewd or vulgar and can't be banned by schools.
Apparently, the case didn’t end there. It went to a federal appeals court, which ruled today that the 2011 decisiion was correct.
When these bracelets first appeared, I thought they were well meaning. But I also felt they targeted a problematic demographic -- adolescents likely to overreact to the word "boobies."
Clearly, the bracelets' purpose to bring attention to breast cancer succeeded but I still think the "boobies" portion represents a potential distraction in school. But the courts clearly disagree with me and with the many schools around the country that have banned the bracelets.