Judge Rules on Student Anarchy Club
By MICHELLE SAXTON, Associated Press Writer

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A judge ruled Thursday that a 15-year-old sophomore cannot form an anarchy club or wear T-shirts opposing the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan (news - web sites) because it would disrupt school.

Katie Sierra was suspended from Sissonville High School for three days for promoting the club. She was also told she could not wear T-shirts with messages such as: ``When I saw the dead and dying Afghani children on TV, I felt a newly recovered sense of national security. God Bless America.''

In a complaint filed with her mother, Sierra argued her right to free speech was being denied.

Circuit Court Judge James Stucky agreed that free speech is ``sacred'' but he found that such rights are ``tempered by the limitations that they ... not disrupt the educational process.''

Sierra said she'll pursue the dispute.

``I don't want war. I'm not for Afghanistan,'' Sierra said. ``I think that what we're doing to them is just as bad as what they did to us, and I think it needs to be stopped.''

James Withrow, lawyer for the Kanawha County Board of Education, argued that an anarchy club was inappropriate because students ``do not feel that their school is a safe place anymore.''

``Anarchy is the antithesis of what we believe should be in schools,'' Withrow said.

Sierra's attorney, Roger Forman, said she is ``being punished for expressing her opinion.''
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Nominate Katie Sierra
for Sissonville High Student of the Month @
 dagnew@access.k12.wv.us

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It seems that the community is missing out on a valuable learning experience here. School system "tool" Jim Withrow said the students no longer feel safe... Katie is the one being threatened, spit is flying, everybody's all p.o.'d about a girl that wants peace! Doesn't fight! Doesn't want anyone to get hurt! How ludicrous is that?! ... the students no longer feel safe, pleeeaase ... Good thing Mother Theresa & Ghandi didn't go to Sissonville High or every student in the county would cowering in a corner shaking from fright.

It's natural to be afraid of the unknown. Maybe you don't know jack about anarchy or the peace movement or who was really behind the terrorist acts of S11. The the corpo-gov-media conglomorant certainly isn't going to tell you the truth. They have too much to lose.

Is this the face of a terrorist? Look at what you're doing.