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“He absolutely had concerns about [the policy] and thinks it might be outdated,” a school system spokeswoman told KWTV.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
papa pink
August 23rd, 2012
7:32 am
A little common sense was needed. Stupid rule that violates Freedom of Speech.
KCV
August 23rd, 2012
7:33 am
Dress code rules exist for a reason. The family should follow the rules or send their child to another school.
BC
August 23rd, 2012
7:35 am
Your kidding me?
GA Buckeye
August 23rd, 2012
7:36 am
I guess the bigger question is, why would anyone allow their child to wear a Michigan shirt?
Pay Per View Midget Wrestling
August 23rd, 2012
7:40 am
Figures……They\’re still excited about the invention of the wheel in Oklahoma
Zero-Tolerance Policy on Incompetence
August 23rd, 2012
7:40 am
Incompetent Public School System Employees:
Your Tax Dollars at Work.
Rick
August 23rd, 2012
7:43 am
June 11th, 1963 was when the stupidity by those in favor of authoritarianism were struck a major blow. Thank goodness George Wallace never became president.
Chuck Clausen
August 23rd, 2012
7:44 am
I’m sure this is an old policy, that the current board will change – I happen to be a Buckeye, but the Wolves fans should not have their speech restricted.
Voice of Reason
August 23rd, 2012
7:55 am
What parent names their kid Cooper? Honestly?
Call It Like It Is
August 23rd, 2012
7:58 am
The real story here is why the parents are not being brought up on charges for allowing their child to wear a michigan shirt. Someone call DFACS.
Go Blue!
August 23rd, 2012
7:58 am
Hail to the victors!
RL
August 23rd, 2012
7:58 am
More out of control government. What is about becoming a bureaucrat makes ones reasoning go completely crazy?
Christopher
August 23rd, 2012
8:04 am
This is the same state where a high school refused to give the valedictorian her diploma until she apologizes for using the word “hell” in her graduation speech. The pattern of ignorance is undeniable.
lefty fielder
August 23rd, 2012
8:05 am
How are out of state college shirts gang-related?
Just askin
Red State freedom
August 23rd, 2012
8:09 am
Ah, red state freedom. You are free to do anything you like, as long as you do what i say. how about this? a dress code that probids COLLEGE instructors from wearing blue jeans? do you really think college students care about that? absolutely not.
Tyrone Biggums
August 23rd, 2012
8:09 am
This story ends well. Michigan’s AD David Brandon called the family and invited them to Michigan Stadium for a game.
GTFan
August 23rd, 2012
8:10 am
Stupid policy no matter what team you cheer for!
Mickey7
August 23rd, 2012
8:11 am
Many gangs where specific hats, jerseys and colors for identification. For instance, Cincinatti Reds, Chicago Bulls are “blood” related and the Dallas Cowboys and the “star” are commonly identified with “crips”.
NT
August 23rd, 2012
8:11 am
And, where is Oklahoma?
of course
August 23rd, 2012
8:13 am
This is seriously stupid.
MiltonMan
August 23rd, 2012
8:15 am
The “smart” natives of Michigan move out of the dump of the state. The not so fortunate ones collate in Detroit.
david
August 23rd, 2012
8:17 am
The kids are not even allowed to wear pro sports shirts either. Using the gang excuse is a joke. It looks like public school is moving toward bring back school uniforms. The people that are making these rules were allowed to wear any shirt they wanted team wise.
MiltonMan
August 23rd, 2012
8:18 am
“Ah, red state freedom. You are free to do anything you like, as long as you do what i say.”
As opposed to the blue dump state known as Michigan??? Please tell us why so many blue staters are moving out of their “paradise”.
Bobby
August 23rd, 2012
8:19 am
I don’t have a problem with OKC schools requiring that IF a student wears a jersey to school that it only be for Oklahoma schools. I just don’t see the problem here. The policy was stated and the family chose to violate it. The kid can wear his “Big House” shirt at home or anywhere other than OKC public schools.
vladamir sonovabitch
August 23rd, 2012
8:20 am
This is just plain stupid from whatever angle you look at it.
lefty fielder
August 23rd, 2012
8:21 am
Wonder what gang adopts the Saints logo
The Masked Superstar
August 23rd, 2012
8:25 am
I guess that school is a “no freedom of speech” zone. Gee whiz… What will the morons of the world do next?
Will
August 23rd, 2012
8:28 am
Public school administrators are constantly facing the problem with gang-related clothing. Two teams whose athletic clothing is most oftren adopted by gangs is Notre Dame and the Oakland Raiders. If there is evidence that local gang members in public schools identify by wearing this type clothing, should this type clothing be banned? Or would that be “silly”?
Jenna
August 23rd, 2012
8:32 am
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.
Melissa
August 23rd, 2012
8:37 am
if the ban were due to gang activity, don’t you think the press release would have said, “The reason we restrict this type of clothing is due to gang activity”. I don’t live in GA anymore but my oldest would be crushed if she couldn’t wear her Falcons shirt when everyone else is wearing their Bears stuff!
Amanda
August 23rd, 2012
8:37 am
Jenna, what in that brief story led you to believe that they even knew this was a rule?
Michael Corcoran
August 23rd, 2012
8:43 am
This is another great example of lowbrow teachers/administrators without a realistic clue of life.
How can our bright young students learn from stupider and less educated teachers? It’s almost impossible.
aziolko
August 23rd, 2012
8:47 am
Oklahoma, crawl out of your cave.
Dagne
August 23rd, 2012
8:48 am
We have kids who haven’t worn a clean shirt to school in days, kids who haven’t eaten a healthy home cooked meal in months, kids whose parents would rather buy a pack of cigarettes than a pack of pencils for them, and kids who cry when we put them on the bus home because they would rather stay at school to avoid the life they are subjected to at home…..
And we worry that these kids will even make it to, much less graduate from, high school…. AND YOU ARE WORRIED THAT A 5 YEAR OLD’S SHIRT HAD A NAME OF A UNIVERSITY THAT OFFERS ADVANCED DEGREES?
Wake up, America.
Gus
August 23rd, 2012
8:49 am
This is a prime example why school uniforms are the way to go. Why should teachers and administrators have to deal with issues like this?
pooh p
August 23rd, 2012
8:50 am
Good for OK. When I was in high school I was mugged by a group of teenage gang members in Atlanta, all decked out in their Hawaii garb. To this day the sight of a rainbow brings me terror.
MT
August 23rd, 2012
8:52 am
Dagne
Your missing the point dude.
Pivate School
August 23rd, 2012
8:54 am
Go to another school? You must also be government educated.
Derpmaster
August 23rd, 2012
9:02 am
(sigh). Well, we can’t really throw stones at them, Clayton just re-elected Hill.
UGH!
August 23rd, 2012
9:03 am
Yea, Jenna – remember they are transplants from Michigan. How would they know that such a stupid rule ever existed???
Common Sense
August 23rd, 2012
9:05 am
The child is 5 yrs old. Not sure of the “gang” threat here. Just saying….
Sons of Liberty
August 23rd, 2012
9:12 am
Clearly that school is violating the First Amendment. The Nazi tactics those Oklahomans are carrying out is un-American and anti-liberty, they should be ashamed!
Moutaineers House
August 23rd, 2012
9:18 am
Lets look at the subject from the finest detail. The child is 5 and in kindergarden, so why in the world does it matter since the last time I checked the gang population hadn’t started recruiting that early. Skinheads began to drop the overall appearance of their traditional stereotype because they were beginning to draw the attention. Though the gang culture hasn’t come to this point guaranteed that if the pressure comes this can all be changed. Absence of parenting has only furthered the culture that is active today in kids lives. Allow children to wear what they want and start parenting/teaching kids the things necessary to survive life without violence and crime.
As a side note, the kid should be ashamed to wear that shirt after 2007 when the mighty Appalachian State Mountaineers came in and embarrased them. That place ain’t the “Big House” anymore, that is “OUR HOUSE” until 2014 when you get the chance to right the ship.
HERE COMES THE JUDGE!
August 23rd, 2012
9:19 am
Well now…lets put the 5 year under some hot lights and interrogate him until he spill the names of the other members of his gang!! Did they also pat him down to make sure no weapons were present? Wait a minute…I remember a school in Georgia suspended a little girl for bringing a tweety bird figurine to school. Ok, ok a rule is a rule…no matter how stupid…would I be wrong if I mentioned that just a tiny bit of common sense would take care of this!!! Huh? Huh???
More Government Please
August 23rd, 2012
9:19 am
But did he get to count his ketchup as a vegetable?
Not A Big Fan
August 23rd, 2012
9:22 am
What if he had a shirt that stated (in non-offensive terms) that all prominent Oka. teams are destined for failure?
Pr
August 23rd, 2012
9:25 am
Once again Oklahoma shows how STUPID they really are.
Mark
August 23rd, 2012
9:30 am
People, it’s Oklahoma. What can you really expect from those people?
Jim
August 23rd, 2012
9:30 am
And you people still thing the government knows how to run things………wake up idiots!!!!!
Motocross Survivor
August 23rd, 2012
9:32 am
This reminds me of the story a couple of years back of the middle aged “family man” who grabbed and ripped loose the testicles of a guy who walked into an Oklahoma eatery for wearing a Texas t-shirt. What is with these prairie animals?
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.
Trey
August 23rd, 2012
1:31 pm
Buck, more like Roy Barnes would have. The same moron who gave us that ugly flag. Luckily, Purdue gave us back the original Confederate Flag.
Jackie
August 23rd, 2012
1:32 pm
Michigan ROCKS.. Georgians take note, education down here sucks, maybe the kid needs to go back to Michigan where real education takes place.
A Rules A Rule
August 23rd, 2012
1:33 pm
Ignorance of the rule is no excuse!!! Read the handbook and the dress code policy which I am sure you were given when enrolling your child.
Failure to adhere to a rule is unacceptable. How would you feel if your children did not follow the house rules because they thought they were stupid?
good for oklahoma
August 23rd, 2012
1:34 pm
It be nice to see a similar policy in GA…..still can’t understand why the state would promote other state schools on license plates…..forget about that revenue….it’s a drop in the bucket that can be made up easily elsewhere, by the cretons with out of state school tags.
omg
August 23rd, 2012
1:41 pm
Michigan ROCKS.. Georgians take note, education down here sucks, maybe the kid needs to go back to Michigan where real INDOCTRINATION takes place….There I fixed your liberal mistake.
omg
August 23rd, 2012
1:42 pm
I hear a many liberals crying freedom of speech. Is that the kid’s speech or the parents who do not attend school. Liberals sure are funny!
war eagle
August 23rd, 2012
1:52 pm
Have those people been in their covered wagons too long? Good thing they were not wearing a Morehouse shirt. Oh boy would their be protests and marches- might even stir up the OK Corral!
USMC
August 23rd, 2012
1:59 pm
Oklahoma stop backwoodsy! former Okie………………..
Ticklemonster
August 23rd, 2012
1:59 pm
What? Can’t wear a Penn State shirt either?
Thank you
August 23rd, 2012
2:03 pm
Thank you for saving us from all those 5 year old gang banging Michigan suporters. I will feel safer at the playground next time I visit OKC.
Less government immediately!!
luangtom
August 23rd, 2012
2:04 pm
It is no wonder our education is lacking versus the rest of the world….educators and their administrators spend their time worrying about t-shirts instead of curriculum. Makes sense, huh?
Sports Illustrated
August 23rd, 2012
2:10 pm
Kinda reminds me of a 1st grader that was suspended because his mother had packed a plastic knife in his lunch to spread mayo on his sandwich. You can understand a school having a policy against knives, but I thought this was a little over the top.
Lion Heart
August 23rd, 2012
2:26 pm
“People, it’s Oklahoma. What can you really expect from those people?”
———-
Be careful with statements like this. Georgia has given the world Honey Boo Boo.
Makes you hhhmmm
August 23rd, 2012
2:44 pm
Let’s compare…
Unemployment: OK – 4.9% / GA – 9.3%
Graduation Rates: OK – 78% / GA – 65.4%
State Taxes: OK – 5.5% / GA – 6%
Gas Prices: OK – $3.39 / GA – $3.89
Housing Mkt: OK – Tulsa: +6.2%; OKC: +3.1% / GA – Hotlanta: -14.7%; Gainesville: -17.2%
(2 of the best vs 2 of the worst on the national lists. ouch.)
From just a little research, it’s apparent this list could go on and on (and on), and not in GA’s favor. I don’t have any reason to be a cheerleader for OK – don’t live there, don’t know much about it – but it strikes me as odd that folks in a state with so little in the way of business, education, sports, or geographic significance are so quick to call another state stupid, backward, or any other epithet. You know what they say about people in glass houses….
Head in the Sand
August 23rd, 2012
2:47 pm
Mr. Natural: I graduated from the highest ranked university in GA, Georgia Tech. I love people whose best argument is to call people they disagree with stupid. Typical strawman demogogue. It’s really sad how many people hate 50% of America just because they vote differently, and that goes for both sides of the aisle. Stupid and unfair rules are meant to be broken. Common sense will dictate what is stupid and unfair.
David
August 23rd, 2012
2:56 pm
lefty fielder
August 23rd, 2012
8:21 am
Wonder what gang adopts the Saints logo
Gang of Fools.
Kate More
August 23rd, 2012
2:57 pm
Are 5-year old kids in gangs in OK? Wow, then that might justify the policy. Geez! School boards/schools have simply LOST IT. Moreover, this is a clear violation of free speech. What about the latest Nike sneakers, costing $300? Don’t they present the real danger of violence, theft and misconduct A LOT MORE, in say middle/high schools, than this little kid’s MI t-shirt? It’s really about the Obama doctrine. It has trickled down into every facet of the country. Presidential policy does that. It includes: severe invasion into/curtailing of Civil Liberties, violation of Free Speech, and a gross perversion of all that is good, true, patriotic and traditionally American, in general. How is it that ADULTS have become the clueless, spineless, politically-correct (idiotic) saps that we hear about daily? Has Obama sucked out their life force?:) People, snap out of it. Let’s be the land of the brave and the home of the free, again!!! Oust that Socialist/Marxist/Islamist sucker in November and let’s be Americans again!!!!!!!!!!
eds
August 23rd, 2012
3:01 pm
The correct spelling is “you’re” NOT “your,” when you are trying to convey “you are.” Learn how to spell, and quit dumbing-down the English language.
CherylS
August 23rd, 2012
3:07 pm
Of course it’s stupid. Either ban all Team clothing or allow it all. The way it is now, it’s just forcing support for state schools. I can’t remember the last time I saw gnag members wearing team t-shirts.
CherylS
August 23rd, 2012
3:10 pm
It’s all about $$$$. If someone who lives in Georgia but graduated from Florida State wants to pay extra for a Florida State license plate, let him. Why do you care anyway?
MichiganSucks
August 23rd, 2012
3:13 pm
Hello
Barry Obama
August 23rd, 2012
3:17 pm
Of course I agree with the government employee who simply did their job by enforcing the rules that were on the books.
The thoughtless Republican parents of this child were trying to provoke an incident wearing a Michigan t-shirt in hostile territory, thus putting the child in harm’s way.
It takes a village to raise a child.
Former Teacher
August 23rd, 2012
3:21 pm
The issue is whether or not the parents knew of the rule. if they did then obviously they ignored it in favor of parading their child in front of the media for their 15 minutes of fame. The rule is stupid—but I find parents using their 5-year-old in the media to protest the rule rather abusive.
George G.
August 23rd, 2012
3:52 pm
Michigan? He should have been expelled!
Ralph
August 23rd, 2012
3:52 pm
I”m all for school uniforms. My kids wore them for years in both public (short term) and private schools. Uniforms eliminate so many BS distractions.
Itsmeagain
August 23rd, 2012
3:58 pm
Kate More;
Taking a conservative principle that she doesn’t understand and thinks is bad and saying that it belongs to Obama because she doesn’t like him either
GB'S Hamburgers
August 23rd, 2012
4:00 pm
So America is not dumbed down … huh?
Itsmeagain
August 23rd, 2012
4:02 pm
The sad thing is, this isnt just a rule that’s on the books and mostly ignored, it’s clearly drilled into teachers enough that they can spot it in their school. This says to me how serious they are about it. It’s strange that a red state would do something which is the antithesis of conservative, well, unless you believe true conservatism is giving a ton of power to a small government
pooh p
August 23rd, 2012
4:04 pm
Kudos to Michigan for flying the kid and his parents up to the Big House for a game this fall.
goodhikers
August 23rd, 2012
4:07 pm
Per woody: “F**k Washington and what goes on there. Focus on your home, neighborhood, school, and workplace. You have more control over your immediate environment, and what takes place there, than you may realize.”
Woody, this sounds like a local school issue to me–I don’t see the Washington connection. In fact, local environment/schools/government is often more petty and prejudicial than any state or national government. You comment sounds like more tea party BS…another no-brain movement that has no idea what it is talking about
Mr Natural
August 23rd, 2012
4:13 pm
Mr. Natural: I graduated from the highest ranked university in GA, Georgia Tech. I love people whose best argument is to call people they disagree with stupid. Typical strawman demogogue. It’s really sad how many people hate 50% of America just because they vote differently, and that goes for both sides of the aisle. Stupid and unfair rules are meant to be broken. Common sense will dictate what is stupid and unfair.
Head in the Sand: Please show me in my prior post where it says you are stupid. I just asked what grade of school you completed. A little paranoid aren’t we?
Larry
August 23rd, 2012
4:36 pm
Rick, The date that makes all the difference is January 20, 1977. Once Jimmy Carter was elected President, among other travesties, he created the Department of Education. Education has been in serious decline ever since. Interestingly, the cost of edcuation has skyrocketed way past inflation ever since. Now, you’re going to trust Obama with medical care?
Doug
August 23rd, 2012
5:23 pm
You aint in Michigan anmore TOTO.
RentATrent
August 23rd, 2012
5:23 pm
Yet another good reason to dislike bammer-West.
Doug
August 23rd, 2012
5:25 pm
Enter your comments here
Larry
August 23rd, 2012
6:02 pm
Next time, he should wear a Penn State shirt.
Amazed
August 23rd, 2012
6:04 pm
Wow and the U.S. is where in education? Shaking my head.
ha
August 23rd, 2012
6:19 pm
I went to basic training and Ait for the Army in Ok.It is a ass backwards hell hole. The hate texans and anyone else who does not live there and themselves for living there.
ha
August 23rd, 2012
6:20 pm
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/sports/college&id=5652925
ha
August 23rd, 2012
6:21 pm
I posted it motorcross, for those who would defend all the knuckle dragging oklahoma fans.
FSUBrave
August 23rd, 2012
7:22 pm
I lived In Oklahoma for 4 yrs on a military assignment..All i can say is BORING!! you can only see the cowboy museum and the indian city so many times. It is one ugly state….they have SEC envy as well. I will say it is not a bad place to raise kids, conservative, but is nothing more than a flyover state..@thmygohmmm…pull your head out of your keister..Atlanta has many fortune 500 companies headquartered here, has pro sports, although i will say the thunder is a much better franchise than the hawks, and we also have the SEC..nothing oklahoma can touch..We also have alot of history from the civil war, stone mountain and six flags….oklahoma can’t shine our shoes..nice try though buddy
SEC Champ
August 23rd, 2012
7:27 pm
School policies have to have a zero tolerance to be effective or everyone would have a reason to wear or bring whatever they wanted to school. The problem is not the school systems it is advertisers glorifying thugs like snoop dog and children trying to emulate the likes of such trash. When pop culture is all about “keeping it real” and be a thug, it is hard to cultivate a positive learning environment.
creative
August 23rd, 2012
9:12 pm
kill me please
dagnabit
August 23rd, 2012
11:50 pm
Who wants to deny that these Oklahoma officials are all republicans.
Whatever
August 24th, 2012
2:25 am
The rule was enacted because of gangs. Gangs are black. This kid is white. Let him wear his shirt.
Say whut
August 24th, 2012
7:16 am
Some will defend the Second Amendment ot their death. What about the First Amendment? This is another example of how some people will strip your rights if you let them.
phillip
August 24th, 2012
8:32 am
really
jon
August 24th, 2012
8:54 am
Oklahoma is the Alabama of the Mid West
Head in the Sand
August 24th, 2012
9:02 am
Mr. Natural: Um, the whole part about asking me what grade of school I completed? I think that’s fairly synonymous with calling someone stupid. If that wasn’t your intention and you actually care how I took your comment, perhaps you should explain your points better.
jarvis
August 24th, 2012
9:28 am
“Follow the rule until it is change, and then in a separtate forum challenge the rule.”
How un-American are you rule-followers?
If this kid hadn’t broken the rule, would the rule be getting any of the negative attention it deserves? No, of course it wouldn’t. Discourse is force by action not by waiting in line for two hours for the 5 seconds of open mic at a School Board meeting.
Did our forefathers continue to pay the tax on imported tea while waiting for an appointment with the colonial governor? No….the threw the effin tea in the harbor.
better journalists req'd
August 24th, 2012
9:52 am
While I agree this is silly, the media does a poor job explaining the circumstances that may (or may not) justify this strict dress code. My gut reaction was this is crazy. However after talking with a friend who deals with gangs mentioned that even 5 year olds are “groomed” by brothers and cousins etc into the gang world. I doubt this is the case but I don’t have the facts about the gang environment at that school or neighborhood. Let’s also remember gangs should never be promoted but your not going to stop them from existing by banning a shirt. If they want to remove the potential, have a uniform. Otherwise, use common sense.
jarvis
August 24th, 2012
10:07 am
Zero tolerance rules are for the lazy.
jarvis
August 24th, 2012
10:07 am
That’s why you rarely see them outside of the government.
Frankly
August 24th, 2012
11:42 am
It’s Oklahoma, why didn’t they hang the kid?
Shreevats Shreevastav
August 24th, 2012
3:54 pm
Chk this out-21 funny t-shirt quotes…really fun
http://www.theroyalpoke.com/2012/07/21-funny-t-shirt-quotes.html
G-Dawg
August 27th, 2012
4:37 pm
Apparently other BOEs across the nation are ran by idiots like those in Bibb County, Macon GA.
Terrae
August 30th, 2012
2:59 am
I think the rule is stupid and outdated. It seems to be a way to promote “regional school spirit” but arent sooner colors red(gang colors)? Also, what if your kid goes to school in one area but likes the crosstown rivals school team? do they have to turn it inside out? There’s a thin line between gang prevention and bias, and they’ve passed it