NC high school again suspends teen who wears nose stud as a religious statement

NC school suspends teen again over nose stud

CLAYTON, N.C. — A 14-year-old high school student in central North Carolina has been suspended again for wearing a nose stud she says is a sign of her faith.

North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union legal director Katy Parker says Ariana Iacono (eye-uh-KOHN’-oh) was suspended Tuesday morning from Clayton High School.

The ACLU is backing Iacono’s right to wear the nose ring. Iacono and her mother are members of a small group called the Church of Body Modification.

This is the third time this year Iacono has been suspended. The Johnston County school system has a dress code that prohibits facial piercings.

Parker says the ACLU and the Iaconos haven’t yet decided how they’ll respond to the latest suspension.