In the article, 14 year-old Ariana Lacono who attends Clayton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, was suspended for having a nose piercing. The school explained that it somehow violated Johnston County school system's dress code. However, Ariana argued that the piercing was an "exercise of her religion" and that it was her First Amendment Right to express freedom of religion. Her mother, Nikki, who is an attendant of the Church of Body Modification agreed with her daughter on the issue. She also added, after her daughter was suspended for ten more days after attempting to attend school during her suspension, that the dress code allows exemptions on religious grounds. Meaning that technically, Ariana was not violating the dress code whatsoever with her piercing.
I agree that a nose piercing is a simple expression that can be classified as freedom of religion. The First Amendment supports this right one-hundred percent. Meaning there should have been no reason for Ariana Lacono to be given any form of punishment. The school's dress code basically stated itself that she had a right to have the nose piercing since it's for religious purposes. Therefore, the school was at fault for their accusations.
