Oxford High School senior Melissa Francis has worn a piece of red duct tape with the word ‘Life? on her clothes ever since the beginning of the school year.
She wears it as a silent protest against abortion, and on Oct. 24, she and many other Pro-Life OHS students participated in the third annual Students Day of Silent Solidarity (SDSS) ? only the students weren’t allowed to stay silent for long.
SDSS was started by Stand True, a Christian Pro-Life group based in Virginia, and suggests the silent protest as a way to ‘lose your voice for a day for those who will never have one.?
But administrators at the high school weren’t too happy with the students not participating in class and requested the tape be removed from their mouths and put onto their clothes.
‘I said ‘you can (wear the tape over your mouth) just before or after school,?? OHS Principal Mike Schweig said. ‘Not during the school day and not in the classroom.?
Even though SDSS is a national event, Schweig said the silent protest was not a school event and was becoming a ‘distraction and disruption to the classroom.?
‘During class, students are to learn the lesson the teacher prepared, not (about) abortion rights,? he said.
Still, there were students who disregarded Schweig’s decision and continued to wear the red tape over their mouths.
Francis, who leads the Collision Bible club at the high school, said she had asked and was given permission by the administration just days before for the silent protest, but Schweig maintains he was never contacted, only the assistant principals were.
By the time the school got word of the silent protest, those students on the other side of the abortion issue wanted their voices heard too.
Senior Rachel Napoleon and other supporters of the Pro-Choice stance decided to make their own signs to wear with the word ‘Choice? on it.
‘Things got a little out of hand. People started (wearing) pieces of paper that said ‘I kill babies? and people were yanking other people’s stickers off,? Napoleon said. ‘I was called a ‘baby killer? by some girls that had Pro-Life stickers on. I even got called a ‘slut.??
Schweig then made the decision to completely eliminate the use of the signs and tape from each side of the protest ‘to be fair? and informed students they wouldn’t be allowed to attend class if they had the tape on their mouths.
‘Being in administration and being in charge of 1,300 kids, I said we’ve got to protect the interests of all people,? he said.
Francis disagreed with Schweig’s reasoning.
‘I wanted to stand out and say my beliefs because they’re a part of who I am,? she said. ‘I don’t want to be equal to everyone else.?
Junior Sarah Beltowski felt the administration was creating a double standard because there are students at the school who freely wear items supporting gay and lesbian rights.
‘You can wear that all the time, but as soon as we stand up and say this is what we are, it’s wrong,? she said.
Schweig said he was pleased to see the students are ‘energized and interested? in the topic, but would rather they find a way to discuss it in a ‘constructive, positive, educational manner.?
‘I’m telling them to take a vow of silence on a Saturday or Sunday, because otherwise what you’re doing is trying to be difficult and the sincerity of your cause is getting lost in it,? he said.
No students were suspended during the incident and Schweig said most of the students ‘complied? with his reasoning by the end of the day.
He did say, however, that one student was willingly sent home because she was ‘stressed out over the situation.?
Student Samantha Adams said she was ‘glad? the incident occurred because it showed the administration that teens can ‘have opinions and views too.?
‘It showed how much influence kids can have and how we can actually do something enough to show we have opinions,? she said.