Or if you determine that he's been wearing the shirt every day for a week because he feels like it's a pretty obvious way to get attention, and possibly a way to get around any other restrictions placed on him preaching at the other students. The problem doesn't seem to be the message of the shirt, instead the problem's using the shirt as an intentional harassment tool. I mean, it's a bright yellow shirt with an aggressive message about salvation; seems like a great way to get the Word out without directly violating any requests to cease preaching.
The wording in the article is somewhat vague, but I got the impression he was suspended for repeatedly refusing to cease an activity after multiple requests from his classmates and administrators. That he's also got tacky taste in T-shirts is a secondary concern at best.
Well, like I said, the mere fact that it's bright and has a message should not be enough to suspend someone and I'm 90% sure it wouldn't be (and shouldn't be) in the US. Just because a particular form of political speech can provoke an internal reaction in some students that should not justify banning a student from expressing that message in a non-verbal way.
Yea, there is really anyway to know that unless you are there.
I do think the school administration could have handled this situation better. However, it was clear he was making the other students uncomfortable. Could it be that the T-shirt was making the students uncomfortable given his history?
If that is the case, does the school have an obligation to ask the student to take the T-shirt off?
Again, it's Canada so I'm not sure, but I go back to the Tinker v Des Moines example in the US. Students chose to wear black armbands as a silent protest against Vietnam, EVERYONE knew they were going to do it, so school administrators banned the wearing of all armbands. Several students did it anyway and were suspended. The court explicitly ruled that students have a right to the own personal political views so long as the manner they express them is not materially and substantially disruptive. The fact that some students might be upset by that message is not sufficient to ban the student's speech.