School sued for barring yearbook picture of student with medieval sword

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - The mother of a high school senior who posed in chain mail with a medieval sword for his yearbook picture has sued after the school rejected the photo because of its"zero tolerance" policy against weapons.

Patrick Agin, 17, belongs to the Society for Creative Anachronism, an international organization that researches and recreates medieval history. He submitted the photo in September for the Portsmouth High School yearbook.

But the school's principal refused to allow the portrait as Agin's official yearbook photo because he said it violated a policy against weapons and violence in schools, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by the Rhode Island branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.