East Hartford Education Association v. Board of Education of the Town of East Hartford

The majority opinion casts so dense a smokescreen about this case that one might easily lose sight of the narrow legal question involved. The East Hartford Board of Education (“board”) has not attempted to emulate the Manchu conquerors of China or Peter The Great. The citizenry of East Hartford is not now marching about in “death’s livery,” pigtailed and clean-shaven as a result of the board’s perfidy. Rather, those charged by law with the operation *847and control of the public schools have required that the male teachers in their employ wear ties at work in most circumstances. The appellant…