Students wins cartoon socks row

They are usually considered a major fashion faux pas but students in America have taken their school to court for the right to wear cartoon character socks as part of their uniform.

For the past nine years, Redwood Middle School in Napa has required students' clothes and schoolbags to be entirely solid colours and banned pictures, words, symbols or patterns - except the school logo.

But Superior Court Judge Raymond Guadagni found that the school's rules on uniform violated freedom of speech under the U.S. Constitution as well as California law, which contains stronger protections for student expression.



The schools strict school uniform rules were intended to curb gangs and promote safety by making it easy to identify outsiders on campus.

The rules were challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of six students who had been disciplined for various violations.

Among those applauding the ruling was Donnell Scott, whose 14-year-old daughter, Toni Kay Scott, was sent to a detention program called Students With Attitude Problems when she wore Tigger socks to school.