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debate and political engagement rather

told them to make and wear yellow stars

than punishing students who provide a

as part of lesson on The Diary of Anne

forum for free expression."155

Frank. Mitchell said that the assignment

· Parsippany--A war crimes "trial" for

was intended to instill empathy for

Frank. "If you're not wearing it, you're

President George W. Bush was staged in

not getting the full awareness of Anne

a Parsippany High School classroom in

and her family," he said. Thirteen-year-

February, and a lot of people thought it

old Samantha Gage, a student in the

was going too far. "We're polarizing

class, objected so vehemently to the

people in an area that we shouldn't be,"

assignment that she wrote a letter about

school board member Frank Calabria

it to the Concord Monitor. "Many people

said of the class project that had been

won't learn anything except that their

approved by the school's principal.

religion (if they're not Jewish) isn't good

Parsippany Mayor Michael Luther, a

enough," she wrote. Students who

Democrat, agreed, saying that it "breeds

refused to wear the star received lower

disrespect to accuse the commander-in-

grades than those who wore it.153

chief of being a war criminal." The pres-

ident of the Parsippany teachers' union,

however, said that administrators in the

New Jersey

district who were criticizing both the

Freedom of Expression

· Hasbrouck Heights--To protest a district

project and the teacher in charge, Joseph

Kyle, "just couldn't take the heat."156

ban on wearing shorts between October

1 and April 15, 17-year-old Michael

Coviello decided he would wear skirts to

Religion

· Eagleswood Township--At age 65, substi-

school. The district, however, ultimately

prohibited him from wearing those as

tute teacher William McBeth decided to

well, so Coviello contacted the ACLU to

undergo a sex change and become Lily

help him out. In January, the ACLU and

McBeth. At age 70 the change was com-

Coviello reached an agreement with the

pleted, and William McBeth reapplied

district that enabled Coviello to wear a

for his job as Lily. After the school board

skirt in order to continue his protest

hired McBeth by a 4-1 vote, a major con-

against the district's seasonal ban on

troversy broke out as a group of parents

shorts.154

objected to the hiring, culminating in a

· Oceanport--In 2003, the Oceanport school

contentious February school board

meeting. "You are forcing sexuality

district punished student Ryan Dwyer for

questions on my children (that) they are

creating a website critical of his school, a

not capable of understanding," com-

punishment that included a week-long

plained Mark Schnepp, the father of

suspension from class and a month-long

two district students, who also said that

suspension from the school's baseball

having McBeth teach his children "vio-

team. In response, Dwyer's family contact-

lates my religious beliefs." Defenders of

ed the ACLU of New Jersey, which helped

McBeth were also present, including

them to sue the district. In November,

members of Garden State Equality,

their suit was finally settled, with the

some of whom carried placards calling

Oceanport district agreeing to give Dwyer

New Jersey "the state that doesn't hate."

$117,500. The district nonetheless contin-

In the end, the school board reaffirmed

ued to maintain that it had to punish

its hiring decision.157

Dwyer in order "to protect all of the chil-

· Frenchtown--In May 2005 an 8-year-old

dren and the staff in the district." The

ACLU's Grayson Barber objected, assert-

girl attempted to sing "Awesome God"

ing that "our schools should encourage

at a voluntary, after-school talent show,

40