I know it's semantics, but in my mind (and in many smaller schools especially) principals ARE teachers. They may have more pull, but they still teach.
But I digress. Schools, especially these days, are constantly battling and sorting out what is appropriate. I remember in high school when a rather well endowed female was reprimanded for wearing a tank top with spaghetti straps. It wasn't her fault Fruit of the Loom's tensile strength wasn't great enough to snuggly wrangle her mammoth melons. Yet, one teacher (a female) didn't deem her attire appropriate and she was asked to change into something less erection inducing.
Her mother was LIVID. Not at her daughter, but at the school. I remember hearing the screaming because I was in study hall at the time and wondered if a cat or some furry critter had gotten caught in an air duct.
Despite her wailing, the teacher and principal stuck to their guns and soon implemented a more defined policy on clothing. As I recall, clothing was (and probably still is) always a hot issue in high school, and I even had to turn my T-shirt inside-out one day because it was advertising Moose Drool Brewery (my folks bought it for me when they took a trip to Montana). My parents weren't mad when I told them I couldn't wear it any more. Mom even said, "oh, well if that's what your teacher said then I guess you better keep it at home."
Made sense to me, despite thinking it was a pretty dumb rule at the time. Now older, wiser and a parent myself, I can see the reasoning.
This is the same high school that currently has one of the best trap teams in the state of Minnesota (which really pisses me off because it came about 13 years too late! Gaaa! Trap league would have been so much more fun than tennis).
As for you question about a Wingmaster vs. AR, I honestly don't know what the principal's reaction would have been. I would expect the same. My buddies and I hunted a ton in high school, and often (stupidly) kept our shotguns in the trunk of our vehicles so we could jump ponds or walk ditches on the way home. But never once did I think it was smart to take a picture of said gun and get it in the yearbook. Common sense told me that was a dumb idea, despite the fact I was probably one of the most diehard hunters in our high school (I used to bring VHS hunting tapes in to watch during our last period of the day, which was a study hall/free period deal).
Like I said, I think intent plays into this. Dad/son obviously were hoping to stir the hornets nest. Well, I guess they were successful. Good for them.
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Ha! Good point.
