Education is the key. Some people use their cultural identity as a means of manipulation.

When some Tongan people used that as an excuse with me, I would look them in the eye and say "Iki" (no). They and I both knew they were just looking for an excuse.

I learned to respect and observe the Tongan culture because I was a visitor in their country.

They were tolerant of me in my effort to learn their ways. They appreciated my efforts to educate myself. It was a good experience for both.

American Citizen, you won't make gains if you don't know how to speak or spell other people's languages properly. It's the same thing whites say to us "Speak our language and speaking it properly!" So the proper way to say no in Tongan is 'Ikai, not Iki. If you say it correctly, I'm sure you won't come off in the condescending manner that you do. Comprende-vous?

I surely get exhausted hearing this "cultural" excuse. I have lived, worked and traveled outside of the USA for many years and "embracing" my "American/USA" culture in other nations is not a common practice and often not acceptable with the "locals" and/or their government. When people move to the "Good Ol" U S of A", it is time to become "one of us" (whatever that is defined as today??)and get with the "program". If you want to enjoy your heritage (like many of us do on occasion - such as celebrating St. Patrick Day as one with Irish roots of over 150 years ago)more power to you. The only true non-immigrants are the Native Americans and many of our ancestors helped to destroy their "culture". You move here, live the laws of the land, obey the rules, etc. The schools are no exception whether it is hair color, length of dresses, whatever. If she or her mother happen to be "Mormon" as stated in the article, check out the 12th Article of Faith (We believe in ... obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.) In conclusion, Press one for English, otherwise come back when you can!

BullDawg, funny that you would mention the dispossessed Native Americans and the role of your ancestors in their near decimation, but then you advocate for living the laws of the land! Oh, the irony, the hypocrisy!

Her mother is LDS. They don't believe in body piercings. Her father is Sikh. They believe in piercings even less than the LDS.

It's a punk manipulation, and her mother should be ashamed.

the great thing is, it doesn't MATTER what you think, or how you think she should be. She can explore and represent as much of her culture as she wants, and you have NO place to tell her she can't. it's appalling that you think YOU should be able to tell people how they should be, how they should act, and what they should look like. you have a falsely over-inflated view of yourself and your opinion.

To American Citizen 2 - First, I did not mention my ancestry. Second, I am able to trace my lineage and have no decimation of the Native Americans in my line, directly or indirectly, how about you? Third some of my ancestors were subject to decimation, uprooting and "shipping out". But when they got here, they became a part of the culture and most likely helped create what is now being destroyed. There is no link between the Native Americans & living the laws of the land in what I was stating. You are taking it out of "context". I "worked for" the Native Americans of what is considered Region IX for several years (primarily California & Nevada)and in addition some of my best friends today are Sioux & Navajo. Great "Nations" who have always been given the "short-stick" or the shaft. The article is about someone who chose not to follow the rules, guidelines, etc. of her school or apparently her religion, that of her mother and even her father based on what "I'm calling Bull" stated (and he or she is absolutely correct)

No, you're wrong. The school has a dress code; she violated that dress code, claiming first that her piercing was religious and then cultural.

She can explore her "culture" when she's not at school; at school, she has to follow the dress code. The US Supreme Court agrees with me.

It all sounds like mummy is the one trying to make a point more than child. Maybe mummy should consider
a superb education over drilling holes in her face, of more value. :-) Sometimes it is difficult to know who the parent is, and who the child is!

If you looked at comments on the first story about this, and at the direction of the comments above, people were attacking this 12 year old girl telling her she had to "assimilate" and that her culture is "American". I wasn't making reference to anything having to do with the school, but rather these unwarranted attacks on a preteen girl telling her how she should be, and what her culture should be. totally not their place and out of line in my opinion.

The parents aren't living together. Both mother and daughter have taken the mother's maiden name. I doubt the girl has any idea about her father's culture and is just using this as an excuse to flaunt the dress code. I suspect neither the mother nor the daughter is a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which discourages piercings.
Either she's being manipulated by her daughter, or she's inwardly excited that her daughter is in the limelight by breaking school rules. The story is rather superficial and lacking a lot of details.