5-year-old’s Michigan T-shirt banned in OK
A 5-year-old kindergarten student has run afoul of the fashion police in Oklahoma City for supporting the wrong team.
Cooper Barton wore a “Big House” t-shirt — the nickname for Michigan’s 114,000-seat stadium — to classes at Wilson Elementary, and was told by school officials to turn the shirt inside out.
The officials explained that Oklahoma City has a policy prohibiting the wearing of college team shirts, unless they represent Oklahoma schools.
His family, avid Michigan supporters, was not pleased.
“It wasn’t offensive,” his mother Shannon told KWTV. “He’s five.”
The Oklahoma City Public Schools District policy forbids “clothing bearing the names or emblems of all professional and collegiate athletic teams” unless they’re from Oklahoma. Officials said the policy was developed in 2005 as an anti-gang measure.
School Superintendent Karl Springer said the policy was under review due to the incident involving Cooper.
“He absolutely had concerns about [the policy] and thinks it might be outdated,” a school system spokeswoman told KWTV.
What about it: Is the policy stupid? Or should Cooper’s family just shut up and follow the rules?
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157 comments Add your comment
Heavy G
August 23rd, 2012
9:32 am
Because the Gang problem among 5 year old’s is out of control
Matt
August 23rd, 2012
9:34 am
The policy is stupid. The real problem is the gangs. When we quit being intimidated by the thugs and have them locked up, the world will be a better place.
CM
August 23rd, 2012
9:37 am
Maybe they were concerned about the possibility of Cooper ”
Big Wheels” Barton and his crew taking over lemonade stands in the city. Or could it be that he could be the mastermind behind the increase in the video game playing culture there. He posed a great threat to their great pristine way of life and they had to stop him.
Morons in Oklahoma City.
sliderule
August 23rd, 2012
9:52 am
Let kids wear their gang colors. That way we know who they are.
Just Wandering...
August 23rd, 2012
10:00 am
@ Milton Man… are you good red state christians going to re-establish slavery and genocide when you incorporate Milton county?
Ropedawg
August 23rd, 2012
10:01 am
I’d be embarrassed to live in OKC with these types of laws. Give me a break… THIS IS AMERICA!
Chuck Clausen
August 23rd, 2012
10:01 am
It’s a stupid policy in today’s world – we are a much more mobile population than we were 50 years ago. From a proud Buckeye
david
August 23rd, 2012
10:02 am
There was one interesting point made. If the parents signed a document saying they read and understood the dress code they have no defense. Even if the rule is stupid.
GwinnettDad
August 23rd, 2012
10:05 am
RCV shows us an example of the brain damage resulting from too much exposure to public schools.
Andre
August 23rd, 2012
10:17 am
Using the gang card, is old and tired. Gangs weren’t a big issue too much in 2005. Maybe in 1995 or 1985? And in all places, OKLAHOMA CITY?!? To me, this seems like a power issue, “our kids should represent our state universities and only show homage to our schools only and nobody else.” But don’t insult their intelligence by saying it’s fighting gangs.
Alecia
August 23rd, 2012
10:25 am
First amendment??????
I also have to wonder about the unfortunate kids that have to wear a particular t shirt, because no choice is available(hand me downs or church donations). With today’s economy kids are showing up for school in their pajamas and tattered clothes and we want to complain about a college t- shirt.
Ms Buckeye
August 23rd, 2012
10:41 am
The parents need to follow the shool’s dress code policy or put the kid in another school. Certain people are always trying to push the envelope as if the rules don’t apply to them. You see it all the time…..
mike watson
August 23rd, 2012
10:42 am
maybe obahma supporters should be punished
Jeff
August 23rd, 2012
10:44 am
Easily, it’s a stupid policy. I love the comments from people saying “they should just follow the rules because there are children without clothes and are poor, etc, etc.) Small expressions of individual freedom and liberty are exactly why our country is not like many of the poor and repressive countries around the world. Yes, even telling a 5-year old to put on another shirt is an act of aggression from the government. You can’t pick and choose your defense of liberty. You must protect it across the board. Neither the kid, the shirt, or the fact it had a non-oklahoma label was hurting anyone in the community. It is the small intrusions of the government we should be fighting the most.
Lib in Cobb
August 23rd, 2012
10:45 am
Very stupid, as stupid as a rule which prevents a student from carrying an asthma inhaler. It is truly amazing that educated people, as in school administrators, can dream up such insane policies. They must have rooms full of school administrators who couldn’t think their way out of a bathroom stall
Give me a break.....
August 23rd, 2012
10:50 am
why allow any sports shirts at all? Or allow all…..this was a stupid rule to begin with….it was just a metter of time before someone went to court over this…where did all the common sense to???
KeithB
August 23rd, 2012
10:51 am
Let the 5 yo ‘rep his hood’!
Road Scholar
August 23rd, 2012
10:53 am
President Obama MADE him wear it! Sorry…just trying to get in front of the conservatives and their stupid responses to things.
Do the people of Oklahoma know about sliced bread yet? Was the shirt legitimate or illegitimate?
WeBurn
August 23rd, 2012
11:06 am
Embarrassing that a policy like this exists.
Shaydy
August 23rd, 2012
11:17 am
Can the child even spell what the shirt say or know the meaning? I don’t know if this is the case but, I buy college shirts all the time for my son because it’s on sale. It’s called budgeting in this economy. Well, now this child is scorn and we know what college he WANT be going to.
tony austin
August 23rd, 2012
11:18 am
I don’t know much about OK, but from what I’ve red non OK t-shirts are worn by gang members so the school instituted a policy. That said, I think it is a stupid policy for the kid is 5 years old and obviously not a gang member. The policy needs to be rewritten.
However, as silly as the policy seems, it is still a policy and it was violated. I feel bad for the kid for he should not have had to turn the shirt inside out but again, the current policy was broken. I hope it will be rewritten.
Remember we can’t take the rules and use and break them when it benefits us. If I break a law I will either get a ticket or go to jail no matter what excuse I use to try justify my actions. I could be exonerated of my actions in a court but I still have to go to court to do so. The young man violated a rule and had to turn his shirt inside out. Maybe the courts (courts as an example, I technically mean those who write that policy) will find the rule to be unjustified in his case and the policy rewritten.
Crimson nation
August 23rd, 2012
11:35 am
Well for what its worth Michigan fans won’t want to wear their gear anyway after we embarrass them on Sept. 1st.
Tom B
August 23rd, 2012
11:35 am
Ah yes, government censorship. “The Oklahoma City Public Schools District policy forbids “clothing bearing the names or emblems of all professional and collegiate athletic teams” unless they’re from Oklahoma.”
ThisThatnTheOther
August 23rd, 2012
11:36 am
Easily, it’s a stupid policy. I love the comments from people saying “they should just follow the rules because there are children without clothes and are poor, etc, etc.) Small expressions of individual freedom and liberty are exactly why our country is not like many of the poor and repressive countries around the world. Yes, even telling a 5-year old to put on another shirt is an act of aggression from the government. You can’t pick and choose your defense of liberty. You must protect it across the board. Neither the kid, the shirt, or the fact it had a non-oklahoma label was hurting anyone in the community. It is the small intrusions of the government we should be fighting the most.
Jeff, are you saying you should only have to follow the rules if you think they are fair? You must be a liberal, right?
Christopher
August 23rd, 2012
11:40 am
Jenna . . . mothers like you are why some little boys grow up to be serial killers.
ThisThatnTheOther
August 23rd, 2012
11:41 am
Amanda, I beleive Jenna prefaced her comments with IF:
If the rule was in place and the child broke the rule, yes, he should have turned the shirt inside out.
pbt dawg fan
August 23rd, 2012
11:42 am
So, students in Olkahoma City cannot wear a Dallas Cowboy Jeresy to school. Olkahoma has no pro football team, and their are a lot of Dallas cowboy fans in Oklahoma City.
Bobby
August 23rd, 2012
11:46 am
If the ban also included Oklahoma wear then it would be okay, but by carving the exemption for in-state schools it runs afoul of free speech rules. You either allow all college sports wear or none.
haha
August 23rd, 2012
11:54 am
I”m sure the Kenyan had something to do with this.
We were free until that damn socialist came into office.
Hah ha ah ha hahaha ha
Let's Be Real
August 23rd, 2012
11:58 am
Even God hates Oklahoma, and smites them with tornadoes.
Terry
August 23rd, 2012
11:59 am
Every school year, they give out a booklet with the schools dress code rules, if the parents had read the school rules booklet, they should have known this was against the school rules, the parents sound more like trouble makers, their probably looking to sue someone, what better way, than to use a child, look at the out cry all ready, these parents are to blame, not the child or the school system.
Widespread Panic
August 23rd, 2012
12:10 pm
This isn’t about red or blue states, this is about fascist public school systems. For crying out loud! the hypocrisy of institutions that pay lip service to academic freedom while smothering freedom of expression by students and individual judgement for its teachers and administrators (zero tolerance polices). Unions and political cronyism have largely laid waste to public education in America. I saw a study that said just 25% of high school students are academically prepared for college. Yet the public education lobby tries to crush or marginalize all initiatives that give parents viable alternatives. Ladies and gentlemen, this system is broken and we get new examples of it every single day.
OK, just had to vent a bit. Feel better now.
Speed Racer
August 23rd, 2012
12:11 pm
Another reason public schools stink.
Stuart
August 23rd, 2012
12:14 pm
Strike another reason the citizen politician continues to be a butt of jokes.
Moobs Johnson
August 23rd, 2012
12:16 pm
You have to watch out for those 5 year old gang bangers.
KINGDAWG
August 23rd, 2012
12:24 pm
Quote of the Day… Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not so sure about the universe.- Albert Einstein
Head in the Sand
August 23rd, 2012
12:33 pm
ThisThatnTheOther: Jeff, are you saying you should only have to follow the rules if you think they are fair? You must be a liberal, right?
I’m not Jeff, but I’m curious if you believe only liberals smoke pot? There’s a reason why so many people break certain laws, because they are not fair or make no sense. I guess you also think black people who drank from white people’s water fountains 50 years ago were wrong huh? I would think a conservative who is all about smaller gov’t would agree that this is overstepping the role of gov’t here. If there is no school uniforms, then there should be no rules against wearing non-offensive shirts. Wearing a college t-shirt can not be deemed offensive by anyone with a brain.
Who Cares?
August 23rd, 2012
12:34 pm
Obama is salivating over the thought of that much government control. There’s a cabinet position ahead for some Oklahoma City Public Schools District employee.
k teacher
August 23rd, 2012
12:37 pm
I have a student spitting on classmates, kicking classmates, hitting classmates and adults, running any chance the child gets, and does no work … and can’t get him in ISS or OSS. Will have to look into dress code violations maybe.
NotYou
August 23rd, 2012
12:38 pm
Guess gangs can’t adapt and use in state schools.
NotYou
August 23rd, 2012
12:41 pm
@Head in the Sand – You lost me on “There’s a reason why so many people break certain laws, because they are not fair or make no sense.” That’s pretty childish reasoning. Granted if a law stood in the way to protect my family, it might as well not exist but saying those that do break laws do so because it’s “not fair” is pitiful. Work to change the law. What’s next, you gonna hold your breath?
Dave H.
August 23rd, 2012
12:43 pm
They overlooked menacing PIRATES, who are known to wear Pittsburgh Pirate and Tampa Bay Buccaneer spirit wear to schools.
Steve
August 23rd, 2012
12:48 pm
As a public school employee, I am embarrassed for my colleagues in Oklahoma. I join others reasonable minds in asking that the muckety-mucks who created such a policy rescind it immediately. Then, let’s get Cooper an Alabama t-shirt! RTR
Head in the Sand
August 23rd, 2012
12:53 pm
@ Not You: I’m not going to wait for pot to become legal before smoking it. Also, here in Georgia about 15 years ago it was illegal to perform oral sex even if you were married. I didn’t follow that law either. You go ahead Mr. Hero and save the world. I don’t appreciate someone else dictating my morality, so I will continue living my own life, thanks. We’re only the planet for so long, life’s not worth waiting around for to live. I live for today, not for maybe. Same goes for this stupid t-shirt nonsense. Cheers.
Mr Natural
August 23rd, 2012
12:57 pm
If there is no school uniforms, then there should be no rules against Head in the Sand.
Head in the Sand: You are absolutely right there should be no such rule. The fact is, though, there is such a rule. What grade of school did you complete?
Go Blow
August 23rd, 2012
1:07 pm
Michigan sucks. They should ban all Michigan gear, and their fans as well.
Billy Werber
August 23rd, 2012
1:10 pm
How do all these charter schools get away with this? These are public schools and they make the kids wear khaki’s and colored shirts. No emblems of any kind are allowed even of that same state.
Freedome of Speech is not enforoced even in schools
AWCodger
August 23rd, 2012
1:13 pm
My grandson lives in Calif. – his parents and one grandparent at Ga Tech. grads. His other grandparents are multi-generational Purdue supporters. Surely there is a way to separate him from Gangs who wear “uniforms” with names of out of state schools.
Buck Strickland
August 23rd, 2012
1:24 pm
I propose we institute the same law in Georgia. I believe Sonny would have considered it!
Trey
August 23rd, 2012
1:30 pm
“If the rule was in place and the child broke the rule, yes, he should have turned the shirt inside out. THEN his family could go and speak with the school about it. But you don’t break the rule and then get angry when you are held accountable for doing so. It’s ass backwards people. If you don’t like the rules and think there should be change, then go about it the proper way. Teaching this boy to follow the rules is a valuable lesson his parents failed to teach. They also missed out on teaching him how to properly go about effecting change. Instead, they’re teaching him to do as he please, where he pleases and damn the rules. Great parenting.” – Jenna
Jenna, you were the type to support England during the Revolutionary War, aren’t you. We didn’t stand for their stupid crap.