A German court announced Tuesday it had upheld a ban on Muslim teachers wearing headscarves in schools in the state of Baden-Württemberg. A state administrative court of appeal in the city of Mannheim ruled teachers cannot cover their heads in the classroom -- at least not if they do so for religious reasons.

The court's decision overturned an earlier ruling in 2006 by a lower court, which decided in favor of a teacher who had converted to Islam. The teacher, who had worn a headscarf since 1995, took her case to court after the school board in the state capital of Stuttgart ordered her to stop wearing a headscarf in the classroom.

Explaing the latest ruling, the Mannheim court said in a statement: "The directive issued by the school administration for those working at the school not to wear such a head covering is lawful." It added the ban applied to teachers who had worn a head covering for years without any students complaining. By wearing a headscarf, the teacher broke her obligation to keep religious expression out of the classroom, the court said. It also ruled that the ban fully complied with Germany's constitution.