Happy Valley's Undecorated Caps

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    Carter County School Board
  • Sponsored By:
    Happy Valley students, alumni, and community
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We, representing the Happy Valley graduating class of 2009, contest the "No decorated caps" rule. We believe this sudden rule (five days before the ceremony) is unfair and unjust due to our First Amendment rights. Our First Amendment clearly states, as American citizens, we are given freedom of expression. The decoration of the graduation caps is the seniors' way of expressing themselves and their experiences throughout high school. Telling the students they can not decorate their caps is in violation of this right. Forty years ago the US Supreme Court declared students do not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate" (Tinker v. Des Moines School District; 1969). We believe that the Carter County School Board is violating the very rights they teach the students about. This is also unfair considering Happy Valley is the only school in the county with this restriction. Hampton, Unaka, and Cloudland are exempt from this rule.

We ask the Carter County School Board to reconsider their rule on the caps as it is in violation of our First Amendment rights and is an inconvience for those who have already decorated their caps.

25 Signatures

  • Destri Richardson
  • Dexter de Torres
  • Katie Goodin
  • JoEllen Rice
    • Comments
    • I wanna decorate my cap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • Heather Lingerfelt
  • April Richardson
  • Holly Davis
    • Comments
    • they should have the right to decorate thier caps my class did its only fare and fun for them!!
  • Trisha Scalf
  • Chesnee Slagle
    • Comments
    • I support this whole heartedly
  • Kelly DeVine
    • Comments
    • They should have the right to decorate their caps for one night.
  • Blake Smith
  • Alec Till
  • Savanah Wiley
  • angel thacker
  • Heather Blevins
  • Jared Leonard
  • Richard Nave
  • Megan Combs
  • Megan
    • Comments
    • WOW..ok since when do you punish kids for getting their high school degree?! Have you seen the drop out rate here lately?! Give the kids a chance to celebrate and be happy that they are making a change in their life! If the cap say's something racial or bad just take the hat away not the pride to walk across the stage!.....Happy Valley Class of 2006
  • Timothy Hurtak
  • Libby
  • Jerissa Rice
  • Michael Stone
  • Elsa Severijn
  • Kassandra
    • Comments
    • Students should be allowed to decorate their caps. Decorating their caps is what defines who they are as individuals on graduation day. They've made it this far, so let them enjoy themselves on their day.