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Dec 13, 2005 2:08 pm US/Eastern
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ACLU Steps In to Protect Student's Free Speech
LANSDALE, PA (AP) ―
A Montgomery County High School student is off the hook for wearing an outrageous political t-shirt to school, after the American Civil Liberties Union stepped in.
Chris Schiano, a North Penn high School student, has a shirt that says "International Terrorist" and has a picture of President Bush. A security guard at school told him to take it off and he refused.
Schiano says he's well-versed in the First Amendment:
"I knew right off they had no legal footing to stand on; so, like, I couldn't legally be punished."
School principal Burt Hynes says after hearing from the ACLU they realized the shirt, while potentially offensive, didn't violate the schools dress code: no references to sex, drugs, ethnic intimidation or explicit language:
"It was not something that many of the teachers would have felt was appropriate for school wear. What we got was a clarification from the attorneys."
Chris says he's been wearing the shirt to school since then, and no one's given him a hard time.
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)