A disciplinary hearing to send sophomore Stacy Carol to an alternative school for

breaking school dress code by wearing a lip piercing will be held tomorrow, April 10.

“Our spirituality comes from what we chose to do to ourselves,” Carol said. “Through

body modification, we can change how we see ourselves and the world around us.”

Carol claims the lip piercing is her way of experiencing and connecting to the divine, a

practice she adopted from the Church of Body Modification. Carol and her mom, Lareina Carol,

joined the church during winter break, roughly three months ago.

“We have a dress code to have order and discipline in our schools,” superintendent

Parker Gordon said. “Imagine what our schools would look like if we let our students wear

whatever they liked.”

There are currently two exemptions to the districts dress code for two Muslim students to

wear their hijabs. Sonia Stephens, a lawyer from American Civil Liberties Union representing

Carol says that these exemptions should help Carol in court.

“The district doesn’t have much to stand on since it already has two religious exemptions

on file,” Stephens said. “It will be hard pressed to defend that in court.”

Junior Amina Shakuri, one of the Muslim students with a religious exemption to the dress

code, says that the Church of Body Modification is not comparable to the long history and wide

reach of her Muslim faith.

“There are more than a billion Muslims worldwide,” Shakuri said. “Our beliefs are

documented. I don’t have a problem with Stacy’s lip piercing, but comparing her lip piercing to

my hijab is absurd.”

Carol does not plan on backing down before the hearing tomorrow and her mother

supports her decision.

 “My daughter want to go to class, but she also doesn’t want her First Amendment rights

trampled,” Carol said. “I asked Stacy if she wanted to back down and take out the lip jewelry,

but she believes in our church and in our freedom.”