I reviewed the article titled "Judge Blocks Ban Of Cancer Bracelet" from the April 20th, 2011 issue of Ed Weekly. This article is about a Pennsylvania school district ban on the breast cancer awareness bracelet that students are wearing because it says "I heart boobies" on it. The bracelets are sponsored by the nonprofit Keep a Breast Foundation of Carlsbad. In the the Pennsylvania school two students were suspended for defying the district and taking the case to court.
The students won and the schools is no longer allowed to ban the bracelets. Other schools still enforce the ban and seem uneffected by the decision. The middle school that I currently work in has a ban on the bracelets and some teachers follow the school rules and take the bracelets away from the students, some teachers make the students turn it inside out so cant see the words and then some teachers turn the other cheeck. I am one who turns the other cheeck. I understand that the actually phrase on the bracelet might be inappropriate for middle schoolers but I believe there is a better way to handle it than banning the bracelet. What if one of those students has an aunt or a grandmother who had breast cancer and they are supporting the cause. Then what have we taught them? I think a far better lesson would be to discuss the issue of cancer because almost everyone knows someone who has been effected by it. Talk about the real issues of the disease and how research is needed to be done and how that costs money and how the bracelets support all that. The bracelets themselves should not be the issue. Students who are wearing the bracelets for the wrong reason is the issue. If A student believes strongly about a cause and truly wants a part in it, why would we as educators ever stiffle that? I never want to discourage a student to make a stand and support a cause especially one like cancer!
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