The Harrison County School Board voted on Monday to uphold the policy, rejecting an appeal by Green’s parents, who said it was a symbol of religious expression.
Law enforcement officials told the school board that such symbols could potentially make rival gang members turn violent, according to the Sun Herald, a Mississippi newspaper.
“I don’t appreciate calling the Star of David a gang symbol,” Green’s father, Tom, was quoted as saying.
Nathan Diament, director of the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs, said the school board’s decision was “clearly problematic.”
“On the one hand, no one would question a school’s ability to assure the safety of its students,” he said. “On the other hand, you have to be very careful where you draw the line. What would happen if he was wearing tzitzit, which goes even further than the Star of David.”
Wearing tzitzit is a specific biblical commandment; donning a Star of David is not.
The Green family reportedly is considering raising the issue with the American Civil Liberties Union as a possible first step toward legal action.