Patriot-News, The (Harrisburg, PA)
LARA BRENCKLE
May 3, 2011

Student, school clash over patriotic face painting

 
When Connor Tressler tuned in to watch his beloved Philadelphia Phillies take on the New York Mets on Sunday evening, he didn't expect to witness history.The game was interrupted by news that U.S. special forces had killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden during a raid in Pakistan. 

Likewise, when the Middle Paxton Elementary School fifth-grader's mother painted his face with an American flag, "USA" and the date of bin Laden's demise Monday morning, neither dreamed it would cause him to run afoul of his school's administration. 

"They told me it was against the school's code of conduct, that they're not against the patriotic display, but that the paint goes against the scholastic environment," Connor's mother,Jennifer Tressler, said. 

Connor, and then his mother, were notified he needed to remove the paint. When both refused, Tressler removed her son for the rest of the school day. 

Both sides agreed Connor was never asked to leave the school. 

Though the dress code does not specifically exclude face paint, the code states that students "have the right to wear such clothing or apparel as they choose, unless such clothing or apparel distracts from the educational program or constitutes a health or safety hazard." Middle Paxton's principal, Carol Lopez, referred a reporter who visited her Monday to the Central Dauphin School District's public relations official.

Shannon Leib, the district's spokeswoman, said face paint is never permitted. 

"In this instance, there was a disruption in the hallway, a reaction of other students pointing or laughing at this student," Leib said. 

When asked if a shirt, written with the same symbols, would have been more appropriate, Leib said each case of student expression is considered on its own merits. 

In this case, the face paint and the reaction to it drew Lopez's attention. 

Lopez acted correctly when she called district Assistant Superintendent Carol Johnson to proceed with a course of action, Leib said.

Mary Catherine Roper, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, called the district's response "an overreaction." "Just because a student's speech is effective does not make it disruptive," Roper said. "There's a difference between discussion and debate, which schools should encourage, and a breakdown of discipline in the classroom." Roper pointed to the recent federal court decision allowing students in the Easton Area School District to sport "I (Heart) Boobies" bracelets to support a breast cancer charity. "What the court said is that a couple of kids making remarks is not a disruption," Roper said. 

Remarks, Tressler and her son said, are the only thing that occurred Monday morning. 

"My teacher said it looks nice," Connor said. 

In fact, Tressler said, it was more disruptive to the school day to have Connor pulled out of class twice in about a half-hour than the brief laughs and stares he got in the hallway as he entered school. 

What's more, Tressler said, her son, who plays baseball, came to school last year with a temporary tattoo of a Pirates logo on his neck and a ring of Pirates-related symbols around it. 

That display drew no comments from anyone, she said, and was for less serious a reason. 

Connor, who was a baby on Sept. 11, 2001, said he was stunned and proud when the baseball game was interrupted by President Barack Obama's announcement. 

He has several friends whose parents served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and he was partially thinking about them as he planned his patriotic display. He's happy for his country, he said. 

Connor and his mother said he plans to be in school today. 

"I guess I won't paint my face anymore," Connor said. "They didn't say anything about my shirt, so I'll stick to T-shirts.".