The Armband Controversy

“Who is to administer the schools in Des Moines? The schools should not be ruled by students under the spurious label of free speech."
- Mrs. Grefe, School Board Member    

The schools allowed the suspended students to return without armbands, but all three decided to wait, hoping the board would change policy. They attended the school board meetings wearing their armbands, expressing their antiwar beliefs.
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​"We feel we must support our children at this point. Our children have been raised in a home where we have held certain values. They are in this way, witnessing to the values we believe in.”
- Mrs. Lorena Tinker

​"I am proud that my son had the faith to follow his convictions."
​- Mrs. Margaret Eckhardt
Parents and the Iowa Civil Liberties Union (ICLU) supported students’ rights of expression. The two school board meetings, attended by over 200 people, heatedly debated the armband policy. Many, upset by the unpatriotic act, criticized students’ disobedience and supported schools' disciplinary measures. 
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"If there is no law and order in our schools, they would be in chaotic state. It is chaos that some of the armband wearing people want."
- Community Member at board meeting