We encourage open dialogue and the exchange of ideas, especially unpopular ones that would otherwise be shut down by the majority. Many of the best ideas in the history of the world were shunned when first mentioned. That is a fundamental mission of most newspapers throughout our history.

But there has to be a limit. Wearing a “Team Jaylen” shirt to a school where Jaylen Fryberg killed four classmates last October has to be one of them.

There is no possible good reason to wear such a shirt to Marysville-Pilchuck High School.  It only causes friction and disrupts the learning environment. Students can wear what they want away from school. But schools have dress codes to avoid such confrontations. The Marysville School District should have banned the shirts as soon as they appeared.

Jaylen was a member of the Tulalip Tribes, and tribal board chairman Mel Sheldon right away suggested such a ban.

“This attire creates an environment that is harmful to other students who are trying to heal and recover,” Sheldon wrote.

The shirts were worn by several M-P students at an assembly April 24, marking six months since the shooting. Jaylen took his own life after shooting five friends in the M-P cafeteria. One survived.

The school asked the students to change their shirts and will continue to do so if similar clothing appears.

But the MSD needs to take a tougher stand and ban the shirts and similar items. The district certainly has a right to ban the shirts. The U.S. Supreme Court defines the scope of the First Amendment in public schools, allowing a ban if it can be perceived as a threat by others or if it would cause a substantial disruption in school activities.

Apparently, the shirts were designed long before the shootings and were worn by people who participated in a diabetes fundraising walk to support Jaylen. Unfortunately, no matter what other things Jaylen might have done in his life, he will always be remembered by the way he ended his and the other four lives. Wearing the clothing now shows either just an effort to get attention or ignorance.

Any remembrance of Jaylen, especially at M-P, will be recalled with deadly violence. Any support of him will bring those memories of murder and suicide. To show love and respect for him privately is up to each individual. But to do it publicly at school is disrespectful to his victims and their families.