
Zahrasyed/FlickrA kirpan is a dagger or sword, and must be worn by baptised Sikhs.
A school district in Michigan says it's okay for kids to bring daggers to school - but there are a few rules.
The first rule is you have to be baptized as a Sikh.
The decision by the Plymouth-Canton School District was put into effect on Monday, reversing a ban established in December, when a fourth-grade student brought a three- to five-inch weapon to Bentley Elementary School.
The kirpan, which can be a dagger or a sword, must be worn by baptized Sikhs at all times.
"It's a religious symbol," local community leader Tejkiran Singh told WJBK Fox 2 News in Detroit. "It just reminds you [of] your spirituality."
Although the decision to allow kirpans to be worn is an about-face for the school district, they established a few rules regarding the blades.
"Any kirpan worn at school should be sewn inside a sheath in such a way that the blade cannot be removed from the sheath," the district states on their website.
The daggers must also be no bigger than two and one-forth inches, the blade must be dull, and should be hidden beneath clothing and "not be visible in any way."
Any student who violates these rules would be banned from wearing the kirpans to school again.
msheridan@nydailynews.com; or follow him at Twitter.com/NYDNSheridan
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/02/01/2011-02-01_michigan_school_district_allows_students_to_wear_daggers_to_class.html#ixzz1CleG3PLZ