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Filed under: Teens & tweens, Health & safety, Weird but true, EducationReading this headline, it should be apparent that this student isn't your typical high-schooler. At 17-years-old, Brittany Engstrom is married. She's a senior at Hubbard High School in Ohio and lives with her 19-year-old husband Casey and his grandmother. It is an unusual situation made even more so by the fact that Casey is not only Brittany's husband, but because she's a minor, he's her legal guardian, too. Despite all this, officials at Hubbard High have banned him from school functions. This, they say, is due to the fact that his appearance is in violation of the school's dress code, which states that "wearing pierced jewelry on any other body part than the ear, such as nose, eyebrows, lips and tongue are not permitted." Casey has ear-stretching jewelry in his ears and lip. You know, those painful-looking rings that leave giant holes in your skin.Casey is more than willing to compromise if it means he can escort his young wife to homecoming and prom. But his offer to remove his jewelry was turned down flat. Superintendent Richard Buchenic says removing the skin-stretching pieces "was not acceptable because fluids could still come out, and I do not want to subject our students to those fluids." Buchenic says the district's only duty to Brittany is to provide her with an education. "She chose to get married, so this is her decision. Going to dances is a privilege, not a right," Buchenic said. "She could still attend with friends."For his part, Casey says he is misunderstood and that Buchenic's characterization of his lifestyle as "alternative" is unfair. "That offended me," he said. "I live with my wife and two cats. How alternative is my lifestyle?" (He left out grandma.)What do you think about this? Is the concern over fluids a valid one? Is Brittany being punished for marrying while in high school? What about the fact that Brittany herself appears to have some facial piercings? And lastly, considering the fact that Casey is Brittany's legal guardian, can they really ban him from her school functions? Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Posted on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/11/17/stu...om-school/
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