We, students at Zachary High, are tired of being told to keep our hoops and dangling earrings at home or to be taken off. For many students, school is a safe place to express themselves freely. As teenagers, we need room to discover huge and little aspects of ourselves, which include our own unique style and cultural expression.

Please consider the following when making a decision:

We should not be worried about fighting at school.

• There are already enough policies in place to prevent a fight from breaking out. The administration has been heavily enforcing those policies as well.
• A student who is not engaged in fighting should NOT be removed from the classroom for an item that is not involved in fights.
  • This counteracts the Zachary School Board's mission statement "to assist every student in reaching [their] maximum potential through high-quality instruction and good stewardship of community resources..." (found on the Zachary Community School Board page (zacharyschools.org)).
  • The student would have to make up missed classwork from when they were taken out of the classroom, which puts the student further behind in class.

As a current senior, I have barely heard about or seen a fight that involved earrings being ripped out of someone's ears.

• Most of the time, I see or hear about hair being ripped from someone's head.
• IDs would be a bigger issue if the breakaway backing did not exist.
• Many fights begin on social media outside of school. Students should be encouraged to resolve arguments and/or fights responsibly and maturely.
• No distractions are being made by someone's earrings. If someone has pretty earrings, all I hear are compliments.

Students should be able to wear accessories that allow us to freely express our culture, especially in a public institution.

• As a person with Hispanic and Native blood, these earrings have allowed me to be more connected with my culture, especially when a lot has been whitewashed or erased.
  • In these cultures, dangling feather earrings and hoops are significant in showing our generational struggles and resilience in overcoming oppressive barriers.
• Over half of the student body identifies as black [55.4% of the student population according to Niche].
  • The act of wearing hoops allows black students to express generational struggles, strength, and identity [similar to Latin(x) and Native experiences].
• This policy oppresses students of color and their freedom of expression, which is protected by the First Amendment.
  • Please keep in mind that the Zachary Community School District should "not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin..." and should be "a model of excellence serving ALL citizens" (found on the Zachary Community School Board page (zacharyschools.org)).

The policy was trying to promote "equality" for men, women, and others who do not identify as such.

• The privilege of wearing hoops and dangling earrings was forcefully taken away from girls and others [who may not identify as such]. This policy (and the previous policy that excluded boys and others [who may not identify as such]) discriminates against ALL genders and sexes, which directly violates the Fourteenth Amendment.
• If studs were put into place to ensure "equality" for all students, what is preventing the act of wearing hoops and dangling earrings? The students can easily take the earrings out for safety precautions if they are involved in science labs and/or sports.
• The previous rule that dangling earrings "can not be bigger than a quarter" allowed students to be able to express themselves and ensure safety [see above]. There were no issues with the rule (other than the restrictions for males or those who may not identify as such).

The Supreme Court case Tinker v Des Moines (1969) revolves around a similar idea.

• The ruling that involved students who wore black armbands to school to protest against America's involvement in the Vietnam War states that freedom of speech must be protected in public schools, given the symbolic items are not disruptive to learning.
  • Similarly, hoops and dangling earrings, symbolic and expressive accessories, are NOT disturbances.
  • Rather, pulling students aside in the hallway to pull their earrings out (and possibly sending them to TOR) has prevented students from getting to class on time and delayed students from receiving a quality education.
  • This also counteracts the Zachary School Board's mission statement "to assist every student in reaching [their] maximum potential through high-quality instruction and good stewardship of community resources..." (found on the Zachary Community School Board page (zacharyschools.org)).

As Zachary High Student Body President, I advocate for what the student body wants, and we kindly request that the "no hoops/danging earring" policy be reconsidered and removed from the district handbook. Thank you.

Photo: Xavier Simms-Jackson