4th Period Mock USSC Hearing Prep

4th Period Class Discussing the Case of Doe v. Titanville Unified School District

Students Learning What they Can about Sikhism and the Kirpan

Kirpans on Campus?

5th Period Arguing

Kirpans in Schools? No Way!!!

There are ways to fix the endevour of the kirpan is by halting illegal immigrants from entering into the US and by passing a law through both houses of the United States Government to prevent weapons simlar to or like kirpans from being brought to any public school in the United States.

Results of the Practice Run

The practice hearing results were heavily skewed in favor of the Petitioner

My Opinion on this Case

Even though the Kirpan is served as a religious symbol, it can also be viewed as a dagger due to the fact it is a dagger but it cannot harm people. Unlike Sikhs, many people in America do not know there is a religious object called the Kirpan. Those people would view Kirpan as a dagger rather than anything else. Therefore, the Kirpan has the potential to cause a massive panic. Also, the United Supreme Court ruled the Ronald vs. U.S. favoring the U.S. and ordering the bigamy to be unconstitutional. Nevertheless, anything that is metal certainly has the potential to inflict damage. The metal-made Kirpan is clearly one of them. We cannot put our faith in a ten years old child keeping his Kirpan out of sight all the time. He has no idea what would happen if he just simply show off his Kirpan around to his friends. Therefore, the Provision #4 must be declared constitutional.

Sikh-Canadian Comedian Forced to Remove Turban at Airport

In class today and while searching the internet, I read an interesting story about Jasmeet Singh, aka @JusReign, the Vine and Youtube celebrity.

This story took place at an airport in San Francisco on February 23, 2016.

After being chosen for a "random" inspection, Singh was moved to a private room to be searched. When asked, he removed his turban but was declined a mirror so that he could put it back on.

The TSA officials asked him to walk without his turban on to the nearest bathroom to find a mirror.

On his Twitter feed, Singh explains further how insensitive and disrespectful the entire experience was and how it has received lots of internet support and the trending hashtag #FlyingWhileBrown.

The link to the article has been provided below:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/sikh-canadian-comedian-says-he-was-forced-remove-turban-san-n524511

Attack Involving Kirpan

During SSR today, I found an interesting article entitled "Kirpan Attack in Brampton Renews Concerns".

Posted: Apr 07, 2010

An attack in Brampton, Ont., last Friday involving a kirpan has renewed discussion within the Sikh community over the right to wear the ceremonial dagger.

The incident happened on April 2 outside of the Sikh Lehar Centre on Bramsteele Road, near Highway 410 and Steeles Avenue West, west of Toronto.

Manjit Mangat, 53, a prominent lawyer and president of the temple, was stabbed in the abdomen with a kirpan, resulting in a 12-centimetre wound.

Witnesses told police at least two men brandished unsheathed kirpans outside the centre, where around 150 people had gathered.

Peel police have charged Brampton’s Sukhwant Singh, 52, with attempted murder and aggravated assault. He is expected to appear in court later this week.

The incident presents the kirpan in a negative light, Amanpreet Singh Bal, regional co-ordinator of the World Sikh Organization, told CBC.

"Violence with or without a kirpan is not normal in this day and age … it's contrary to Canadian values," Singh Bal said.

The four- to six-centimetre kirpan is one of the five articles of faith for baptized Sikhs. Singh Bal said it is to be worn dull and sheathed under the clothes.

Singh Bal said he fears the incident will rouse objections once again over the right to wear the religious symbol in public. 

"The concern in the community is that is it going to draw unnecessary attention and it's going to make us spend unnecessary funds and energy to educate Canadians," he said.
"We've made so much progress and then an incident like this has happened, throwing us decades back.

The kirpan is banned in France, Denmark and some U.S. states. It is allowed in most public places throughout Canada, including schools.

The right for a student to wear a kirpan in school was upheld in 2006 after the Supreme Court of Canada struck down a Montreal school board's ban of the wearing of the ceremonial dagger in school.

My Opinion on the 2nd Amendment Right to Bear Arms

Gun sales have risen since President Barack Obama's Second Inaguration and just of last year ( 2015) a increasing amount of law - biding gun owners and first time gun owners have been fearing that this President might completly stop gun sales and gun ownership by forcfully stealing away all militraistic arms from the people. Moreover, 73% of gun owners have gone through and support background checks, however, only public gun owners are required to preform a background check, while provate gun owners go about on a system of merit. I propose as well adding to the 2nd Amenment that any veteran of war, however old they may be, may keep their militarics arms after discharge from service in The United States Armed Forces.

Student Opinion

As a Strong Constitutional Conservative Republican, It is in my up most opinion that since the kirpan is shaped like a weapon and acts like a weapon that it should be prohibited from carried into any school. On the Other Hand, As A Extreme Conservative, I believe that all Americans are Entitled to the 2nd Amendment of The Constitution, " The Right to bear and carry Arms, " Furthermore, I believe people can carry guns of all kinds, as well, as an end to Gun Control.

The Facts of the Case

During the summer of 2014, Petitioner and a number of other Sikh children and their parents moved into the city of Titanville.

A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism - a monotheistic religion which originated during the 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent - and a religious commandment of Sikhism requires that Sikhs must wear five articles of faith at all times, one of these items of faith being the kirpan.

A kirpan is a curved ceremonial sword or dagger. Kirpans are often between 3 and 9 inches long, and must be made of steel or iron. This small steel blade, kept in a sheath, is an emblem of courage and self-defense, symbolizing the Sikh’s readiness to defend the weak and innocent.

The Titanville School District has a zero tolerance policy regarding weapons on campus. However, in response to the facts described above, and with the awareness that court cases previously had taken place between individuals of the Sikh religion and school districts with “zero-tolerance” policies, (Cheema v Thompson), the Titanville Unified School District established a policy related to the wearing of kirpans. This policy mirrors that of accepted accommodations made in the previous case mentioned above, except for one area regarding the substance of the blade.  

Beginning in the fall of 2014, Titanville’s policy mandated that Sikh children attending any of the Titanville schools may attend school wearing a kirpan, with the following provisions:

• The kirpan blade can not exceed 3 1/2 inches in length with a total length of approximately 6 1/2 - 7 inches including its sheath.
• The kirpan must be placed inside its sheath, then the sheathed kirpan must be placed into a cloth bag.  The bag then must be sewn tightly shut.
• The cloth bag, containing sheathed kirpan, will be attached to a strap and worn  under the children's clothing so that it is not readily visible.
• The blade of the kirpan must be made of a substance other than metal or hardwood;
• A designated official of the District may make reasonable inspections to confirm that the conditions specified are being followed.
• If any of the conditions specified above are violated, the student's privilege of wearing his or her kirpan may be suspended. In addition, the student may be suspended for up to three days.
• The District will take all reasonable steps to prevent any harassment, intimidation or provocation of the children by any employee or student in the District and will take appropriate disciplinary action to prevent and redress such action, should it occur.

John Doe, a student of the Sikh religion, was one of the students who enrolled in the fall of 2014.  His parents took exception to the district's policy at the time of enrollment, feeling that it violated their first amendment right to exercise their religion freely. However, they reluctantly followed the policy, placing a kirpan made of cardstock within a sheath and then placing the sheathed kirpan into a cloth bag before sewing the cloth bag tightly shut.

However, over the winter break, the Doe’s replaced the card-stock bladed kirpan with a steel-bladed kirpan. This kirpan blade was 3 ½ inches in length and the overall length, which included the sheath, was 6 ½ inches in length.

This metal-bladed kirpan was discovered after it fell to the floor following some serious pushing and shoving that took place during a school recess basketball game when the boys on both sides in that game accused the other side of cheating.

John Doe was immediately suspended from school for three days for having violated Provision 4 of Respondent’s kirpan policy. Petitioner was also directed not to return to school with a metal bladed kirpan, following suspension.

The Doe’s immediately brought action against the school district in the Federal District Court on grounds that their religious freedom had been violated. The court found in favor of the school district, stating that the state (school district) had a compelling interest to deny religious freedom due to the importance of ensuring the safety of the students. 

The Doe’s then appealed the Federal District Court's decision to the United States Supreme Court. The court has not yet ruled on the matter.

The case is entitled Doe v. Titanville Unified School Distict.

(This “fictional fact situation” has been written for educational purposes only)