8-year-old David Morales got in trouble with school officials at Tiogue School in Coventry Rhode Island after he was assigned to make a hat for a school project.
David chose a patriotic theme of gluing an American flag and plastic army men on a baseball cap.
However, because of his districts zero-tolerance on weapons policy, David was not allowed to wear the hat because the "little plastic Man" carried weapons and therefore would have to be removed.
Lt. Gen. Reginald Centracchio, the retired head of the Rhode Island National Guard disagreed with the ban and commented, "The American soldier is armed. That's why they're called the armed forces," [moron] he said. "You're going to portray it any other way, you missed the point."
Lieutenant General Centracchio, honored Morales with an appearance on WPRO-AM's John DePetro show with a metal called a challenge coin and thanked his second-grader for recognizing veterans and soldiers. Centracchio also gave David a certificate that allows him to call himself a brigadier general.
"You did nothing wrong, and you did an outstanding job," Centracchio said. "We can only hope that kids of your caliber will continue to defend this country."
On Friday, the Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union said it sent a letter to Coventry Superintendent Kenneth DiPietro stating that the school's policy was a violation of students' free speech.
sure, I agree with the school 100%. I mean those little green plastic soldiers carrying little teeny tiny weapons are such a threat to the school and the students that they should be banned.
in fact, just the word "gun" should be banned from all publications within the school itself.
""The district does not allow images of weapons or drugs on clothing." you know because the image alone is such a bad influence on our children... heaven forbid, better start tearing the pages out of the history books now... to violence.
I wonder if they would consider the great pillow fight of 1948 something that we should ban as well. You know, pillows can make great weapons.
Seriously, don't you think that this is kind of taking it a little bit too far?
1 comment:
Thanks for the update bobKatt, it is funny how a little "Associated Press" can sway a dumb rule. :)
in fact, more rules like this really need to be exposed, I think.
I hope that the 8 year old takes away from this that rules can be changed and good intentions should not be squelched.
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