Happy Graduation Day

By Stephen M. Silverman

11/19/1997 at 12:00 AM EST

Robert Parker, 18, a recent high school graduate from Providence, R.I., has had a black mark in his school record removed after a state Education Department official ruled yesterday that two years ago, when Parker was a sophomore, he had a right to wear a rock band T-shirt emblazoned with the numerals 666 (which some people believe represents Satan). At the time, Parker was sent home and ordered him never to don the shirt in class again. The American Civil Liberties Union stepped in, saying the order violated Parker's free speech -- and the education official agreed.