A North Carolina student suspended for wearing a nose ring is suing her high school for supposedly violating her religious rights, WCNT reported Thursday.
Ariana Iacono says she is a member of the "Church of Body Modification." She has threatened legal action after Clayton High School, in Clayton, N.C., 16 miles southeast of Raleigh, declined to recognize it as a religious exemption to the dress code.
’I was abused for years when I was younger and I have really low self esteem and it kind of helps me look at myself in a better way," Iacono said of the small stud.
On the church’s website, the second most frequently asked question reads: ’Is the Church real?’
The answer notes that the federal government recognizes the organization as an accredited non-profit.
"The Church of Body Modification promotes affirmation and growth of a more expansive perspective of our physical and spiritual being," according to its statement of faith.
Iacono’s family reportedly contacted the American Civil Liberties Union for help in the case.
