A new bill in the Arizona legislature seeks to establish statutory protection for the freedom to wear religious jewelry in public schools:
Students in public educational institutions may wear clothing, accessories and jewelry that display religious messages or religious symbols in the same manner and to the same extent that other types of clothing, accessories and jewelry that display messages or symbols are permitted.
It's part of a broader set of provisions designed to keep school officials from curbing overt expressions of faith in the classroom. The inspiration--the notebook pictured above. The East Valley Tribune explains:
Deborah Chambers thought it would be no big deal to display a picture of Jesus on her notebook at the Chandler charter school where she is a seventh-grader.
She didn’t think the image of a bloodied Christ on the cross was all that different from a Muslim head scarf or a Phoenix Suns logo.
“It’s important to me because that’s what Jesus did for me,” Chambers said.
She said that last October a teacher sent her to the principal’s office after a fellow student complained about the notebook, and the principal told her she could no longer bring the notebook to school.
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