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Lucie students have started an online peti-

opening a legislative session with a prayer

tion against that district's code.86

"is not a violation of the Establishment

· Clay County--For her senior yearbook

Clause." Dobrich and the Does contin-

ued, however, to sue the district for creat-

photo, Kelli Davis, a lesbian, wore a tuxe-

ing "an environment of religious exclu-

do, one of two attire options school offi-

sion," and the district rejected a settle-

cials gave the students. Fleming Island

ment with the plaintiffs in March.84

High School Principal Sam Ward, howev-

er, refused to let Davis's picture go in the

yearbook because he said it violated the

Florida

dress code. Davis appealed the decision to

Freedom of Expression

· Boynton Beach--When Boynton Beach High

the Clay County School Board, which

sided with Ward. Eventually, Davis threat-

School junior Cameron Frazier refused to

ened to take the district to federal court,

stand for the Pledge of Allegiance in

and then the district agreed to enter into

December, his teacher demanded that he

mediation. In September, Davis and the

stand and said: "See your desk? Now look

Board finally settled their dispute, with

at mine. Big desk, little desk. You obvious-

the Board promising to change the way

ly don't know your place in this class-

senior portraits are governed and to pro-

room." A few moments later, school offi-

vide faculty and staff with sexual orienta-

cials came to take Frazier to the principal's

tion training. Davis was pleased with the

office. Frazier, however, was prepared to

outcome, but Principal Ward refused to

fight, and the ACLU helped him first to sue

say how he might judge portraits in the

the district, and then the state Board of

future. "I have made my [previous] deci-

Education, so that the state law requiring

sion," he told the Florida Times-Union.

students to stand for the pledge could be

"That ought to tell you something."87

overturned. Frazier's suit asserted that forc-

ing students to stand for the pledge con-

flicts with their free speech and due process

Book Banning

· Miami--The book Vamos a Cuba--in

rights. In June, a federal judge sided with

Frazier, overturning the law. The state of

English, A Visit to Cuba--threatened to tear

Florida, however, was not yet ready to give

the Miami-Dade school district apart last

up. "We're disappointed in the ruling,"

year, as angry members of the district's

Florida Department of Education spokes-

Cuban population called for the district-

woman Cathy Schroeder said after the

wide removal of the book they said paints

decision. "Our attorneys are going to be

far too rosy a picture of life in Castro's

reviewing it to see if we can take any further

Cuba. "The Cuban people have been pay-

action."85

ing a dear price for 47 years for this reality

· St. Lucie County--In April, Superintendent

to be known," declared Juan Amador

Rodriguez, a former political prisoner

Michael Lannon proposed a dress code for

who filed the initial complaint against the

the entire St. Lucie county school district,

book. When the district eventually

a code that would ban such items as T-

banned the book in June, however, free

shirts, flip-flops, and hooded sweat shirts.

speech advocates were outraged. "This

Lannon said that his "Dress for Success"

unfortunate decision is a throwback to a

guidelines would help kids succeed in

Miami of several decades ago, when the

school. "I know this is controversial. . . .

battle about freedom in Cuba was waged

But I believe every parent wants their child

too frequently about First Amendment

to find success." In 1999, when Polk

rights in Miami," said Howard Simon,

County schools established an elementary

director of the ACLU of Florida.88

and middle school dress code, parents

· Miami--Perhaps inspired by the successful

filed a lawsuit against the district, and St.

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