British Schools Will Be Permitted To Ban Niqab

Great Britain's Department for Education and Skills will issue Guidelines for schools that will permit a ban on Muslim girls wearing full face veils. BBC News today reported on the new Guidelines on uniforms that are expected after a school in Buckinghamshire won its attempt to ban a 12-year old girl from wearing a niqab. (See prior posting.) The Guidelines say that while efforts should be made to accommodate religious clothing, schools need to be able to identify pupils to maintain order and to identify intruders. Also a teacher may not be able to judge a student's engagement with learning if the student's face cannot be seen.