Plymouth-Canton School District Allows Ceremonial Dagger

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJBK) - A Detroit-area district says Sikh students are permitted to wear a small, religious dagger to school.

The decision by the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools reverses a ban put in place in December after a fourth-grader at a Canton Township elementary school was found with a dull, 3- to 5-inch kirpan.

FOX 2's Robin Schwartz reports the kirpan represents a commitment to fight evil . After males are baptized, members of the faith, which originated in South Asia in the 15th century, are expected to carry the symbol all the time.

The principal initially let the boy keep the kirpan, but the school board instituted a ban because of parental concerns and conflicts with the district's rules against bringing weapons to school.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report