An en banc Third Circuit ruled in August that Pennsylvania students were allowed to wear bracelets that promote breast cancer awareness with “i ♥ boobies” but are considered vulgar by some school officials, and now the Supreme Court of the United States has denied an appeal from the Easton Area School District.
Mary Catherine Roper, an attorney for the students, was quoted as saying they “have learned that you need to stand up for yourself—even if that means you’re going to get in some trouble. It was something the girls learned and something their mothers supported them in. … They know to listen to grownups, but now they also know that sometimes they’re not right and sometimes you need to say so. Frankly, I think that’s a lesson every kid should know.”
The Pocono Record also quoted one of the students from a press release:
This whole experience has taught me that speaking up about issues that really matter to young people really makes a difference, even if you’re only in seventh grade.
The district’s attorney, John Freund, had a different take. “Let me say that Easton fought the good fight for itself and other public schools to try to keep the focus on education and away from off-color distractions that have no place, especially in elementary and middle schools,” the Record quoted him as saying.
Although the Supreme Court may decide to take one of these cases at some point, the Court’s rejection of this appeal leaves the Third Circuit’s ruling in place. The girls have worn the bracelets every day to school since the case first hit the news, and their parents are said to be supportive.
The Third Circuit’s ruling applies only to schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Other appellate courts have come down on a different side regarding the “i ♥ boobies” bracelets.
