Teen's sword picture can go in yearbook

[Ban Hammer 13,340]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island's education commissioner ordered a high school on Friday to publish a yearbook photo showing a teenage medieval enthusiast with a sword.

Portsmouth High School authorities can regulate editorial content in the yearbook, but they acted unreasonably by rejecting Patrick Agin's photo, hearing officer Paul Pontarelli wrote in a ruling approved by Education Commissioner Peter McWalters.

Agin, a 17-year-old fan of the Middle Ages, wore chain mail and slung a prop sword over his shoulder for his senior portrait at Portsmouth High School. School officials said the picture violated a zero-tolerance policy on weapons and rejected the picture for the yearbook.

The Rhode Island branch of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents Algin's family, has argued that the school has allowed students to pose for more than a decade with props that show their interests, including musical instruments and horses.

Portsmouth Schools Superintendent Susan Lusi did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Friday night.

In the ruling, state education officials wrote that school officials offered to publish Agin's photo if it was part of a paid yearbook advertisement.

"Tolerance for weapons can be purchased," Pontarelli wrote. "This is illogical."

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[de_sjiem 0]

Prop swords are hardly more dangerous than a baseball bat.. probably even less so, since they are really quite dull... I'm pretty sure no one would have a problem with a student posing with a baseball bat, so why not a prop sword?? They aren't weapons, they are decorations... its not like he's posing with a real knife or a gun..

[keltic 1]

Prop swords are hardly more dangerous than a baseball bat.. probably even less so, since they are really quite dull... I'm pretty sure no one would have a problem with a student posing with a baseball bat, so why not a prop sword?? They aren't weapons, they are decorations... its not like he's posing with a real knife or a gun..

as a fan of things medieval (as well as having spent many years in the theater on the stage crew side), that sword does not look like a prop... and real swords are MUCH more dangerous than bats... but even if it were a prop...

there are many other "props" that he could have chosen to represent his interest in medieval times... even just the chainmail itself is enough to show where his interests lie... there is no reason to HAVE to use a weapon from that time to depict his interest

some kid could dress in a black suit with a black hat with white rim and hold a machine gun and say his interest is gangster movies from olden times

if the school has a policy of no tolerance for weapons, then it should stick to it and no amount of money should change it... if the policy is not liked, then the parents should band together to change it

eta: if he was really interested in medieval times, he would realize the sword that is prominent in the picture is a double handed sword... meaning, it needs 2 hands to wield it... if you look at that pic, he has a second sword in its hilt on the other hip with his hand on it... someone using a double handed sword would not need (nor bother) to carry an excess sword... too much weight and would wind up being cumbersome during a fight

Edited January 21, 2007 by keltic

[Caladan 19]

The blades on renfest purchased swords are rarely sharpened. It's likely a metal club. And if he has a sideblade to go with his two-hande weapon, he's going to be slaying only the Crystal Dragon of Golthaza-dum-barak in his head. And the balance on that weapon is off.

Also, he's a high school medieval fan. Let me just say I'm not convinced that if he were to go on a murderous rampage with his blunted blade that he couldn't be halted by one of the cheerleaders. One of the little flyers, even.

The easiest way to handle this to keep in line with the policy would be to let the kid take the picture that ensures he'll skip his high school reunion out of sheer, and put Glamdring and Sting in the principal's office until after school. Shouldn't have needed to involve the courts at all.

[de_sjiem 0]

Prop swords are hardly more dangerous than a baseball bat.. probably even less so, since they are really quite dull... I'm pretty sure no one would have a problem with a student posing with a baseball bat, so why not a prop sword?? They aren't weapons, they are decorations... its not like he's posing with a real knife or a gun..

as a fan of things medieval (as well as having spent many years in the theater on the stage crew side), that sword does not look like a prop... and real swords are MUCH more dangerous than bats... but even if it were a prop...

there are many other "props" that he could have chosen to represent his interest in medieval times... even just the chainmail itself is enough to show where his interests lie... there is no reason to HAVE to use a weapon from that time to depict his interest

some kid could dress in a black suit with a black hat with white rim and hold a machine gun and say his interest is gangster movies from olden times

if the school has a policy of no tolerance for weapons, then it should stick to it and no amount of money should change it... if the policy is not liked, then the parents should band together to change it

eta: if he was really interested in medieval times, he would realize the sword that is prominent in the picture is a double handed sword... meaning, it needs 2 hands to wield it... if you look at that pic, he has a second sword in its hilt on the other hip with his hand on it... someone using a double handed sword would not need (nor bother) to carry an excess sword... too much weight and would wind up being cumbersome during a fight

There is no way that sword could be a real sword.. If it were a real sword it would weigh too much for it to be just slung over his shoulder like that.. There is a reason its a "two handed sword", because they would need two hands to wield it because it was so heavy.. It would be much too large and heavy for him to carry it in one hand over his shoulder like that.. Prop swords, on the other hand are quite light and would be easy to have on your shoulder like that. (My husband likes swords quite a bit and we have a few of them displayed on our wall.. they "look" real but are really not very heavy or very sharp at all..)

[rebeccajo 14]

The real problem here is that Mommy and Daddy thought it was enough of an issue to sue over.

Give me a break.

[keltic 1]

The blades on renfest purchased swords are rarely sharpened. It's likely a metal club. And if he has a sideblade to go with his two-hande weapon, he's going to be slaying only the Crystal Dragon of Golthaza-dum-barak in his head. And the balance on that weapon is off.

Also, he's a high school medieval fan. Let me just say I'm not convinced that if he were to go on a murderous rampage with his blunted blade that he couldn't be halted by one of the cheerleaders. One of the little flyers, even.

The easiest way to handle this to keep in line with the policy would be to let the kid take the picture that ensures he'll skip his high school reunion out of sheer, and put Glamdring and Sting in the principal's office until after school. Shouldn't have needed to involve the courts at all.

there are other places to buy swords besides renfests... as i stated earlier, "even if it were a prop..." the point is that the schools policy is no tolerance for weapons... its the policy and unless the majority of the parents and school board want to change it, thats just the way it is... the courts should not be involved... its a waste of time and money

[keltic 1]

Prop swords are hardly more dangerous than a baseball bat.. probably even less so, since they are really quite dull... I'm pretty sure no one would have a problem with a student posing with a baseball bat, so why not a prop sword?? They aren't weapons, they are decorations... its not like he's posing with a real knife or a gun..

as a fan of things medieval (as well as having spent many years in the theater on the stage crew side), that sword does not look like a prop... and real swords are MUCH more dangerous than bats... but even if it were a prop...

there are many other "props" that he could have chosen to represent his interest in medieval times... even just the chainmail itself is enough to show where his interests lie... there is no reason to HAVE to use a weapon from that time to depict his interest

some kid could dress in a black suit with a black hat with white rim and hold a machine gun and say his interest is gangster movies from olden times

if the school has a policy of no tolerance for weapons, then it should stick to it and no amount of money should change it... if the policy is not liked, then the parents should band together to change it

eta: if he was really interested in medieval times, he would realize the sword that is prominent in the picture is a double handed sword... meaning, it needs 2 hands to wield it... if you look at that pic, he has a second sword in its hilt on the other hip with his hand on it... someone using a double handed sword would not need (nor bother) to carry an excess sword... too much weight and would wind up being cumbersome during a fight

There is no way that sword could be a real sword.. If it were a real sword it would weigh too much for it to be just slung over his shoulder like that.. There is a reason its a "two handed sword", because they would need two hands to wield it because it was so heavy.. It would be much too large and heavy for him to carry it in one hand over his shoulder like that.. Prop swords, on the other hand are quite light and would be easy to have on your shoulder like that. (My husband likes swords quite a bit and we have a few of them displayed on our wall.. they "look" real but are really not very heavy or very sharp at all..)

sure it could be real... he has his shoulder helping him to hold that sword... my shoulder can bear a heck of a lot more weight than my wrist can assist my hand with...

and its precisely because its a two handed sword that he wouldnt need to carry the other sword...

i also have a few swords myself, not props, but the real thing... and they were bought at an armory... i do not have the blades sharpened because they are not used as weapons, but as decorations on the wall... but they could be sharpened and be formidible weapons for someone who knows how to use them...

i had only a decorative battleaxe on my wall before i met a dear friend of mine who collects all types of swords... he has racks of katanas, scimitars, two handed broadswords, etc... and they are displayed on the walls of one of the rooms in his house... none of them are just props and i can heft even the largest of the broadswords (altho i cant control it to wield it) to prop it on my shoulder as in that pic

but, yet again... the point is, there is a no tolerance policy at that school and they must have had a reason to pass it... if there is a problem with it... dont bother to jam up the courts with a lawsuit... convince the board and parents to change it... if not, then work within the confines of the policy and stick with wearing the chainmail and finding some other props that are not weapons

[jezebelseven 0]

there is a no tolerance policy at that school

Sounds like they've been awful at enforcing it, period, in other articles I've read. They should've been enforcing it from the start if they want to have it that way now with no fuss.

"A state education hearing officer added that past editions of the yearbook have had pictures of other items banned by school rules, including a corn-cob pipe, liquor bottles, a beer stein, toy guns, arrows and a knife."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16725299/

I, personally, find more of an issue with high schoolers having liquor bottles in pics, rather than a geek with a sword and chainmaille, and completely understand him sticking up for his belief when the school's been lax on the issue before.

I don't really like no tolerance policies anyhow because of things like this-- there is clear context on why that 'weapon' is in the picture, much like the context of a baseball player holding a bat, a poi spinner with chain poi, and plenty of other things that normally fall under the realm of 'weapon'. And while I can understand them not allowing it in the school, a photo I feel is somewhat different as well. Just my opinion, though.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

The real problem is that this guy is not going to get laid for a very long time.

[Fandango 1,439]

The real problem is that this guy is not going to get laid for a very long time.

Lol took the words right outta my mouth.

That the real kid or just some random geek?

check that one, lol

[Mags 112]

Oh dear.

[keltic 1]

interesting story...

Sword-Wielding S.D. Teen Kills Mom

By Associated Press

Sat Jan 27, 3:05 PM

HURON, S.D. - Police killed a teenager who they said used a sword to kill his mother and injure three other people, including an officer.

Investigators had not determined the motive for the attacks, Chief Doug Schmitt said Friday.

"We don't have any background or any events leading up to the assault this morning that would give any indication of a motive," he said.

Officers called to the family's home Friday found 14-year-old Rebekah Gilchrist with several cuts on her lower arms and hands. The officers then spotted her brother, 16-year-old Josh Gilchrist, swinging a long sword, Schmitt said.

Schmitt said the boy struck one of the officers several times before the others fired several shots, killing him.

Police then found the body of the boy's mother, 49-year-old mom Betty Gilchrist, and an injured foreign exchange student.

Police said the boy's father, Jon Gilchrist, was not home during the attacks in the east-central South Dakota town.

Schmitt said he believes Josh Gilchrist collected swords.

Rebekah Gilchrist was taken to a hospital in Sioux Falls. The exchange student, whose name was not released, and the officer were treated at Huron Regional Medical Center and released, authorities said.

Four officers were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, standard procedure when police fire a gun.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

That was the real kid lisa.

Oh... and he just wanted to submit the picture. Not take the sword to school.

[Reba 2]

The real problem is that this guy is not going to get laid for a very long time.

Have you ever been to a Ren Faire? You'd be surprised what can get laid!

I figure if they've broken the rule for other kids who also had photos taken with forbidden items, then they have to let this kid do the same. Why should a bottle of burbon or bottle of beer be allowed and not a prop sword? Either tighten up on the rule, or toss it out entirely. Don't selectively enforce it just because the kid with a sword might be a geek and the alcoholic kids are jocks (just supposing, I have no clue who the other kids were)