From The Fayetteville Observer

Robeson student to be allowed to wear feathers

LUMBERTON — A Purnell Swett High School student will be able to wear his ceremonial eagle feathers during graduation Friday, under an agreement reached Wednesday by lawyers for the Robeson County school board and the American Civil Liberties Union.

“It looks like the matter is going to be resolved informally,” said Katherine Parker, a legal director with the ACLU North Carolina.

The agreement allows Corey Bird to wear two eagle feathers during the ceremony. The ACLU and the school board are still negotiating about where Bird will be able to display the feathers. Bird plans to wear them in honor of his mother and grandfather, who are deceased. His cousin, Olivia Bird, also will be allowed to wear her eagle fathers in honor of her maternal grandparents, Parker said.

Samuel Bird, Corey’s father, referred comments to Parker.

“They are very happy that Corey will be able to wear his feathers,” Parker said. “This means so much to Corey and his father. I think that they are pleased that the school district agreed to negotiate informally rather than going through litigation.”

The school board spent about three hours in closed session Tuesday night discussing the issue. Board Chairman John Campbell announced that the board did not take action and that the lawyers were trying to reach an agreement.

“I think there was a willingness not to reject outright his request and to find a less distracting way to deal with their concerns so the graduation at Purnell Swett would not be disrupted by protesters or by having law enforcement there,” Campbell said Wednesday.

The board received an opinion Tuesday night from Allison Schafer, the lawyer for the N.C. School Boards Association. Schafer told the board that legal rulings allow requests such as Bird’s as long as they deal with specifically held spiritual beliefs.

“The courts have supported those plaintiffs that could demonstrate specifically held spiritual beliefs and required schools systems to make accommodations,” Campbell said. “What we were interested in was acceptable accommodations. That is why we charged our attorney to explore options with the Bird family. We are trying to work out a solution where everyone wins.”

Schafer told the board that the graduation ceremonies for Wake County schools will include students wearing the Star of David and some wearing veils because of their beliefs.

The Robeson County board has a policy against students wearing messages, signs, markings and ribbons on caps and gowns at graduation.

Parker said the ACLU plans to assist the board in revising its policy to address students who wish to wear ceremonial feathers. The organization has suggested that Bird participate in those discussions.

“My understanding is that the school board is not planning to change the wording of the policy right now,” she said. “We are negotiating a change in wording in the policy in the future. We applaud the school district for agreeing to accommodate Corey and agreeing to resolve this informally.”

The school board has not decided whether it will alter its policy to require students to have specifically held spiritual beliefs when making a request or whether it will deal with each request on a case-by-case basis, Campbell said. The board would not consider requests based on cultural or heritage beliefs, he said.

Staff writer Venita Jenkins can be reached at jenkinsv@fayobserver.com or (910) 738-9158.

******

Fair Use Notice: There is no attempt here to usurp any copyright but only to distribute useful and educational information to a non profit audience.

© Copyright 2000-2008 by Fountain of Light

Top of Page