On August 26, 2026, a federal appeals court addressed a case involving Bow High School and the Des Moines Independent Community School District concerning the removal of pink "XX" protest wristbands worn by parents at a girls' soccer game. The wristbands were intended as a silent protest related to concerns about player participation.

The court, with a decision authored by First Circuit Judge Sandra Lynch and joined by Judge Jeffrey and Howard, noted that neither of the traditional First Amendment legal frameworks perfectly fit this public high school speech case. They observed that the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on this precise issue.

The incident occurred during a September 17 game, where the protest began at halftime without evidence of harassment by the appellants before or during the game. The school officials ordered the removal of the wristbands, describing the symbol as "hateful" and "anti-trans." However, the court found that the sanctions likely stemmed from disagreement with the protest message rather than any disruptive conduct.

The court also disagreed with the notion that simply wearing wristbands on the sidelines of a school soccer field constitutes harassing speech. While the school district argued for discretion in managing school environments, the court emphasized that no disruption occurred until officials intervened, which led to a 15-minute suspension of the game.

The case underscores the challenges public schools face in balancing administrative discretion with constitutional free speech rights, especially on issues of public concern expressed by parents. The court refrained from definitively deciding whether passive speech displaying the "XX" symbol could be considered harassment under different circumstances.

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