Innocent Icon or Savage Symbol?

Ethical Educator

Scenario:

A high school principal receives a complaint from a teacher that a student with a troubled history in school wears a necklace with a swastika on it. In a meeting with the principal, the student claims it is a Buddhist symbol known as manji, which appears almost identical to a swastika. When the parent is called about the necklace, the father threatens to sue the district for a civil rights violation if the student is told to remove the necklace or disciplined for wearing it. The principal asks the superintendent for advice on what action to take.