Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Boy Suspended Again for Wearing Rosary beads



Posted at: 05/24/2010 12:55 PM
Updated at: 05/24/2010 5:39 PM
By: Subrina Dhammi


SCHENECTADY- Raymond Hosier was suspended again Monday morning. He wore his Rosary beads to school again. The 13-year-old says he expected he would be suspended again.

Raymond arrived at Oneida Middle School around 7:50 a.m. His mother, Chantell, waited in her car to see if her son was going to be sent home. Ten minutes later, Chantell was called into the building and she came outside with her son.

Last week Raymond said the assistant principal told him to take off the purple Rosary beads he's been wearing all school year. Raymond refused and says he was then told to tuck the beads under his shirt, but he didn't want to do that either.

He says the same thing happened again Monday.

"I went in the office and got my late pass,” he said. “I was walking out and he told me to tuck them in and I told him I wasn't going to tuck them in.”

Raymond says he wears the beads in honor of his deceased older brother and uncle.

The district's policy is prohibits beads in school because they may represent gang affiliation.

The American Center for Law and Justice says it is preparing to file a federal lawsuit against the school.

2 comments:

The Author said...

Ok. Let's put this in perspective. Does he pray the Rosary regularly I wonder?

On this occasion he was not told to remove them from his person. He was simply told to 'tuck them in' and refused to comply.

As one who prays the Rosary daily, I agree that the wearing of the beloved Rosary beads can signal gang membership or give other devious messages. Just look at how the image of the Rosary beads is misused in so many places like tattoos etc.

I am not for one moment saying that this boy is being disrespectful to the faith, but he may be giving licence to those who are not respectful to it in order to portray or signal something that it contrary to the use of these beads.

I am on the schools side here I'm afraid.

Unknown said...

As a practicing Catholic from a family which has been Catholic for generations, I know that many Catholic religious including Priests and Nuns have worn Rosary Beads. My own grandmother wore them. It is a wonderful display of respect for their religion. Yes, there might be some use among some remote gang, but we must not allow the symbols of our faith to be defined by these. These are our symbols, we own them and it is our right and duty to use them as a show of our faith. In today's society our faith and it's symbols have routinely been attacked by the media, creating an anti-Catholic mindset. I believe that this is part of the reason that this boy is being denied his rights.