School ban on girl wearing cross 'discriminatory'
By Nick Britten
(Filed: 06/12/2005) A mother accused her daughter's school of discriminating against Christians yesterday after the teenager was suspended for refusing to take off a crucifix necklace. Sam Morris, 16, was sent home from Sinfin Community School in Derby for breaking a school policy that bans jewellery. Last night her mother, Debra, said that Sikh children were allowed to wear a steel bracelet, known as a kara, for religious reasons and said her daughter had every right to express her faith. Education officials were unrepentant, however, and said that Sikhs are required by religion to wear items of jewellery, whereas Christians are not. Mrs Morris, 37, said: "Sam has worn this necklace for more than three years. No one has told her to take it off before, and she doesn't want to remove it. "She thinks it's very unfair when other people are allowed to wear religious symbols. It just ends up creating a divide between the pupils. "Everyone is being told that they should be living in unity, but this rule is not right. Sam has just as much right to celebrate her own religion." She said her daughter believed in God but did not regularly attend church. Miss Morris, who is studying for GCSEs, was told on Thursday by the deputy headmaster to remove the necklace. When she refused, she was sent home for the day and told not to return until she agrees not to wear it. Mrs Saunders, from Sinfin, said she allowed her daughter back to the 1,070-pupil comprehensive yesterday, minus the crucifix, because she did not want her to miss lessons. She said: "Sam needs to get her GCSEs so she can go on to college. Although I'm still furious, in the long run her future is more important. But I'm still angry." She said she will raise the matter with school governors. Howard Jones, the deputy head who sent Miss Morris home, said the one-day suspension was a "last resort" after a 30-minute conversation failed to persuade her to take it off. He said: "There was a long period of persuasion with her and she was given time. It was only at the end of that that I reluctantly had to exclude her for a day. I met her mother today and readmitted her daughter." He said the school policy was "even-handed and fair". He added: "As a Christian I don't have to wear a crucifix but Sikhs don't have that option and we have to be understanding. We live in a multi-faith society." Derby city council urged any school imposing such regulations to look carefully at individual circumstances before issuing a total ban. A spokesman said: "It is lawful to ban crucifixes while allowing other religious symbols, but whether it is desirable is another matter. "For some people wearing a crucifix could be a deeply religious gesture, which is why personal needs should be taken into account."
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Sixteen-year-old Sam Morris was suspended from school this week for wearing a crucifix, a well known Christian symbol. A student of the Sinfin Community School in Derby, she was told by the school's deputy headmaster, Howard Jones, to remove the crucifix around her neck. After refusing to do so, trouble began to erupt.

Mr. Jones talked to the girl for up to 30 minutes, trying to convince her to take off the crucifix. However, the pupil, who is studying for her GCSE exams, did not waver and continued to wear it. It was then that Mr. Jones decided to give the girl a one-day suspension as a "last resort," saying that Sam violated the school's jewelry policy.

Debra Saunders, the student's mother, was unhappy about the situation and wonders if the school is trying to discriminate against Christians. Sikh students are permitted to wear bracelets called karas, which are a mandatory part of their religion. 

"She thinks it's very unfair when other people are allowed to wear religious symbols," Sam's mother said, referring to her daughter. "It just ends up creating a divide between the pupils. Everyone is being told that they should be living in unity, but this rule is not right. Sam has just as much right to celebrate her own religion."

Mr. Jones, the school's deputy headmaster, disagrees, saying that the school's policy is "even-handed and fair." He went on to say the following, "As a Christian, I don't have to wear a crucifix but Sikhs don't have that option and we have to be understanding. We live in a multi-faith society."

The Derby City Council also weighed in on the matter. One of their spokespeople stated, "It is lawful to ban crucifixes while allowing other religious symbols, but whether it is desirable is another matter." The spokesperson went on to say, "For some people, wearing a crucifix could be a deeply religious gesture, which is why personal needs should be taken into account."

In the meantime, Sam has returned to school, sans crucifix.