SIMI VALLEY : Lawyers Delay Talks on School Dress Code

A settlement conference between ACLU and Simi Valley school district attorneys has been postponed until next week, when lawyers will continue negotiations over a federal lawsuit filed by a 14-year-old student last fall.

The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Simi Valley Unified School District on behalf of John Spindler, a ninth-grader at Valley View Junior High School who was sent home from school for wearing patriotic T-shirts, in violation of the school’s dress code.

ACLU lawyers allege the policy violates Spindler’s constitutional rights to express himself, but school officials have denied that claim.

U. S. District Judge Irving Hill requested Thursday’s settlement conference, but postponed negotiations until next Wednesday morning.

“The judge felt that there was still a little work to do in terms of detailing a resolution,” ACLU spokeswoman Ann Bradley said. “The bottom line is, it ain’t over till it’s over.”

Attorneys have wrestled with the case for five months. ACLU officials expected a trial to start in January, but now anticipate the case will be settled.

“We have every hope that by next Wednesday morning we will have a settlement,” Bradley said. “Our ultimate goal is that the policy be rescinded. . . . (Students) shouldn’t have to throw away their First Amendment rights when they walk on campus.”

School officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.

With the exception of school logos, Valley View’s strict dress code bans all T-shirts adorned with writing or pictures.

The policy was created last summer after the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old student, in an attempt to improve school safety and promote a more professional learning environment, school officials said.