Church of Body Modification

got any ideas on what to do with a school discriminating against my modifications?

i've tried comprimising with them via wearing a retainer in my piercings (visually i have 2ga lobes, 14ga dimples, 14ga nostril, 00ga septum, 6ga tongue, and 6ga double labrets) and a few small simple brands

i've askd if it would be acceptable wearing clear jewelry or flesh colored jewelry, they simply said no, take them out completely, put a bandaid over the holes or leave.

i re-read the dress code numerous times and came along this a few days ago

“Where a bona fide religious belief or health need of a student conflicts with the school dress code, reasonable accommodation shall be provided. Any student desiring accommodation shall notify the school principal in writing of the requested accommodation and the factual basis for the request. Approved coverings worn as part of a student's bona fide religious practices or beliefs shall not be prohibited under this policy.”

since reading that i've notified the principle in writing that i would like reasonable accommodation and am waiting on a response from him.

you can read the entire dress code at http://www.tulsaschools.org/schools1/dresscode.shtm

if it would help any.

got any ideas?

i cant be of much help in this situation because i never dealt with that during school, i was how ever put in separate classes for a few weeks cuz i dyed my mohawk a lot.  and it does sound like you took the right approach, unlike me.  hahaha i simply found the most effective way was to just go to my normal classes and when they tried to make me leave i simply refused and stated if they touched me i would simply sue them for abuse/harassment.  that seemed to work.  but i hope all goes well and with any luck maybe you could be the catalyst for a total change in that schools outlook on modifications

mom has 2 tattoos, dad doesn't understand anything about modification

i've done all my piercings with the consent of my mother, when i got the tattoos i was living with a guardian who completely supported my decisions, they were garage tattoos basically

no one on the post told me to go against my parents or anything, all of my piercings and tattoos are atleast 6mo old. i wasn't even a CoBM member then. and as far as bringing a kosher lunch, that's nothing against the dress code. wearing a prayer hat is, it's a hat, head coverins aren't allowed, so being able to wear one would be a religious accommodation, right?

my parents are mainly in the middle on this, more on my side than the middle actually, last year i was in a alternative school and they said my septum was offensive and my parents actually supported me with a petition to get it allowed

as far as my tattoos one's a 3 leaf clover, an anti-swastika, and a celtic design made of circular barbells, they said i can't show them and have to keep them covered, even though the're not offensive in any way, well the anti-swastika might be offensive to someone who's racial

Is your school a public school? Anyways, they have to respect your spiritual and religious beliefs and must make appropriate accomadations because of such.

I never had issues when I was in skewl with my tattoos or piercings.

Good luck and keep us updated.

Anarchic_Angel said:

i have the same problem with my school. at the school i was at before this one, they didnt give a damn. but this school is dumb. we cant even have facial hair, or even sideburns that go past your ears. shir, our hair cant even touch our shoulders. i wish they would just realize we are a whole new generation, and they need to suck it up. i shouldnt have to be muslim to have a beard, and i shouldnt have to take out hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry that my parents have allowed me to get, just so the school looks a tad bit better. good luck to you, bro

The thing that we learned the moment that we formed communities was that man needs a sense of order. As we expanded as peoples we came to find that order in rules or laws that governed us. It was not as if some alien came down and said “You must follow these laws”, man himself created laws for himself. If you were crossing in a cross walk and you had the right of way as a pedestrian, would you want the man driving the car who is supposed to stop to balk at the law and say “I don't want to stop, I don't care” and then drive through hitting you? Yes, that is a bit of an extreme analogy but one that is worth contemplating.

When you are under the age of 18 you have no civil rights. You are protected but only from harm. You cannot vote, you cannot smoke (legally), and you cannot defend this country (military service). Yes, there are those who become emancipated but with that comes paying taxes, working, and so forth. Children who are emancipated must actually prove they can live on their own, work, pay their bills, and so forth. It's not easy to do. This said, let us get back to the school issue.

Perhaps it is because I'm a teacher, I've served on many committees some of them regarding dress code that I'm always amazed at just how rude students can be and how disrespectful. Instead of offering up solutions I've heard students complain, call us dumb adults, to blow it, etc. When did we allow our youth to become so disrespectful? 

These school rules are not meant to torture students. And most certainly no one has ever said you have to be Muslim to have a beard. That's a very harsh statement. However, yes, there are rules for the safety of students and in the best interest of students. We all had to follow the rules as students. Adults were actually once teens, believe it or not. And in the adult world, we still have to follow rules. Some of them yes do seem to be crossing lines such as work place rules of no jewelry, etc, but some of them are very much needed. Some we follow as people because we are a part of a community.

In order to gain respect one has to show respect. We will gain no strides in this modified community if we run around calling people dumb, blasting people saying “You have to recognize me”, etc. Hateful attitudes serve very little purpose.

There are many reasons as well why schools have instituted dress codes and some may just save your life, even if as a teen (as we once were too and thought the same) feel you are beyond harm and know more then the adults do. In Texas one can no longer wear the Dallas Cowboy jerseys or emblems. Why? Because some crazy gang decided to make those their gang colors and innocent kids were getting shot in gang cross fire with mistaken identity. When I resided in Texas, even if I was a fan of the sport, my own children didn't wear them because the life of my child was worth more then the “hundreds of dollars” spent on clothing. Most of the items not allowed are for this reason, because of the influx of gang activity and the serious recruiting that occurs near schools and in schools. Other items are because of the affiliation with the drug community, something we're combating yearly in schools, and sadly having to combat at younger and younger ages. Other dress code issues come from sexual or otherwise inappropriate content. You have to remember that no matter where you are on earth there are others around you to which you need to be just as respectful of as they are to you. When I'm around non-pagans for example I don't whip out my occult tools in front of them, start chanting, or discuss Crowley with them. I respect that it is not a part of their culture, beliefs, and so forth. There are respectful ways in which to engage people on subjects that may prove to be uncomfortable to both parties. So, if your lewd tattoo that may be very beautiful is offensive to the mass population around you, you may wish to respect their wishes.

It is not easy for teachers or parents to come up with dress codes. We debate the issues of if adults can dress a certain way, etc. Teachers have dress codes just as students do and we are held to them. As far as facial hair is concerned, one of our concerns for young men is that they may be mistaken for a teacher. It is protecting both them and teachers. Now, at private schools there is very little one can do. Private schools are not under the same guidelines as public schools and can enforce much stricter/lienient dress code policies and students have very little they can do.

Again, if there truly is a passion to change the rules at your school-offer solutions. Learn how to write up a well worded proposal to submit via your parents at the next school board meeting. When you present, avoid hostility, name calling and so forth. And try to avoid the miltary venacular “suck it up”, because that has a way of back-firing.

Anora Eldorath said:

Anarchic_Angel said:

i have the same problem with my school. at the school i was at before this one, they didnt give a damn. but this school is dumb. we cant even have facial hair, or even sideburns that go past your ears. shir, our hair cant even touch our shoulders. i wish they would just realize we are a whole new generation, and they need to suck it up. i shouldnt have to be muslim to have a beard, and i shouldnt have to take out hundreds of dollars worth of jewelry that my parents have allowed me to get, just so the school looks a tad bit better. good luck to you, bro

---

The thing that we learned the moment that we formed communities was that man needs a sense of order. As we expanded as peoples we came to find that order in rules or laws that governed us. It was not as if some alien came down and said “You must follow these laws”, man himself created laws for himself. If you were crossing in a cross walk and you had the right of way as a pedestrian, would you want the man driving the car who is supposed to stop to balk at the law and say “I don't want to stop, I don't care” and then drive through hitting you? Yes, that is a bit of an extreme analogy but one that is worth contemplating.

When you are under the age of 18 you have no civil rights. You are protected but only from harm. You cannot vote, you cannot smoke (legally), and you cannot defend this country (military service). Yes, there are those who become emancipated but with that comes paying taxes, working, and so forth. Children who are emancipated must actually prove they can live on their own, work, pay their bills, and so forth. It's not easy to do. This said, let us get back to the school issue.

Perhaps it is because I'm a teacher, I've served on many committees some of them regarding dress code that I'm always amazed at just how rude students can be and how disrespectful. Instead of offering up solutions I've heard students complain, call us dumb adults, to blow it, etc. When did we allow our youth to become so disrespectful? 

These school rules are not meant to torture students. And most certainly no one has ever said you have to be Muslim to have a beard. That's a very harsh statement. However, yes, there are rules for the safety of students and in the best interest of students. We all had to follow the rules as students. Adults were actually once teens, believe it or not. And in the adult world, we still have to follow rules. Some of them yes do seem to be crossing lines such as work place rules of no jewelry, etc, but some of them are very much needed. Some we follow as people because we are a part of a community.

In order to gain respect one has to show respect. We will gain no strides in this modified community if we run around calling people dumb, blasting people saying “You have to recognize me”, etc. Hateful attitudes serve very little purpose.

There are many reasons as well why schools have instituted dress codes and some may just save your life, even if as a teen (as we once were too and thought the same) feel you are beyond harm and know more then the adults do. In Texas one can no longer wear the Dallas Cowboy jerseys or emblems. Why? Because some crazy gang decided to make those their gang colors and innocent kids were getting shot in gang cross fire with mistaken identity. When I resided in Texas, even if I was a fan of the sport, my own children didn't wear them because the life of my child was worth more then the “hundreds of dollars” spent on clothing. Most of the items not allowed are for this reason, because of the influx of gang activity and the serious recruiting that occurs near schools and in schools. Other items are because of the affiliation with the drug community, something we're combating yearly in schools, and sadly having to combat at younger and younger ages. Other dress code issues come from sexual or otherwise inappropriate content. You have to remember that no matter where you are on earth there are others around you to which you need to be just as respectful of as they are to you. When I'm around non-pagans for example I don't whip out my occult tools in front of them, start chanting, or discuss Crowley with them. I respect that it is not a part of their culture, beliefs, and so forth. There are respectful ways in which to engage people on subjects that may prove to be uncomfortable to both parties. So, if your lewd tattoo that may be very beautiful is offensive to the mass population around you, you may wish to respect their wishes.

It is not easy for teachers or parents to come up with dress codes. We debate the issues of if adults can dress a certain way, etc. Teachers have dress codes just as students do and we are held to them. As far as facial hair is concerned, one of our concerns for young men is that they may be mistaken for a teacher. It is protecting both them and teachers. Now, at private schools there is very little one can do. Private schools are not under the same guidelines as public schools and can enforce much stricter/lienient dress code policies and students have very little they can do.

Again, if there truly is a passion to change the rules at your school-offer solutions. Learn how to write up a well worded proposal to submit via your parents at the next school board meeting. When you present, avoid hostility, name calling and so forth. And try to avoid the miltary venacular “suck it up”, because that has a way of back-firing.

Students can submit dress code change proposals. You do have to be a member of a public school however. yes it is harder for children under the age of 18 to be heard and protect their civil rights, but as I mentioned earlier, you do have constitutional rights, the same as any adult. Minus the aforementioned ones. You can practice whatever religion you want as long as your parents have no problem with it. If your parents are alright with you being a member of the CoBM you can. Just as Christian students have the moment of silence in the morning to perform their religious practices, you can sit on your head and meditate if that is how you do it. Keep fighting the system man but remember, a little respect does go a long way. Even if the school board calls it a cop out as many older folks do, or if they laugh at you or even talk bad about it, that just gives you more motivation to prove that you are the bigger man and better person. Remember, you represent the church with your actions, keep us in good light.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_v._Des_Moines_Independent_Community_School_District

In the Tinker v. Des Moines it was found that it was not disruptive. Very few cases make it this far, in as going before the Supreme Court. I'm all for such changes, but one should keep in mind the steps necessary in doing so. Also note that in other cases where Tinker v Des Moines was referred to the courts did not side with the student.

My comments regarding respect still stand. As a teacher I find it offensive that a student would argue with a teacher, or in any fashion disrespect their elders. As a parent, I find it odd that parents would not become involved with their child's religion. In most homes the parents are the same religion as the child until the child leaves the home at legal age, be it moving out or going to college. I was disturbed, yes, by the references that to feel that a child should respect his parents while he lives with him is some how archaeic.

bl4ck_raz0r_blad3 said:

this is one of the only times i've actually been respectful, in the last year or so i've found you do get a lot farther if you're respectful. any other school year i wouldn't even have considered being respectful to them, there probably would have been a fight, every word in the dictionairy thrown at them, possibly the dictionairy and then some

I'm really glad to see you're working pro-actively. I know you may not get what you want right now, but you're paving the way for the future students by maintaining control over your emotions and discussing things with them intelligently. Involving your mom is also a plus because parents can make a lot more noise where school boards are concerned. (They are the ones that vote them in, if you are in an area that votes for their school board members).

Few do take it that far yes, but with this being something that could seriously change the system it is good. TIME I believe it is publishes this weekly reader for students called upfront. I think that 's the name anyway, and they had cases where students were allowed to wear nose rings and what not. It is difficult but if you handle it properly you are almost guaranteed a compromise if not full out success. And right now, a compromise is victory.

My school was much the same. I'm from Owasso, so I know where you're coming from. School dress codes really suck. Especially for public school. I can understand if it's a private school, but really, public schools should be open. I know some schools in the area that don't care, such as Booker T Washington, though that is a private school, technically.

In my high school we weren't allowed anything. Not even unnatural hair colors. If we had anything but simple lobe piercings, we couldn't attend. That was alright with me, but at that time I was still brainwashed into thinking that I couldn't change the rules, or even challenge them. Obviously things have changed.

Good luck to you. I know people that have fought the good fight before, and unfortunately they lost, but I think you're on the right track.