Oklahoma youngster forced to turn his Michigan shirt inside out at school

[Mazeppa]

Oklahoma youngster forced to turn his Michigan shirt inside out at school
By Graham Watson | Dr. Saturday

(courtesy of News9.com)A 5-year-old boy learned the hard way that Columbus, Ohio, isn't the only place that hates Michigan -- apparently Oklahoma does too.

Young Cooper Barton wore his favorite Michigan shirt to Wilson Elementary in Oklahoma City and was told it violated the Oklahoma City Public Schools dress code and was asked to turn the shirt inside out. According to the dress code, students are only allowed to wear Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or apparel from another Oklahoma state school. Everything else is a violation (especially Texas).

"They should really worry about academics. It wasn't offensive. He's 5," Cooper's mother Shannon Barton told News9.com.

The dress code also prohibits professional apparel.

This isn't the first time a kindergartener has been asked to ignore their collegiate allegiance. In February, Emma Burton of Olathe, Kan., refused to color a University of Kansas Jayhawk because she and her parents were devout Kansas State fans.

According to the television station, the Oklahoma City Public Schools dress code was created in 2005 as part of a way to rid schools of gangs and gang apparel.

Obviously, it's a little ridiculous to think 5-year-old Cooper was trying to rep his gang colors. His parents are just big Michigan fans and so is he. Consequently, the school district will revisit the dress code policy.

Perhaps it will be overturned so Cooper can rock his shirt for the big game against "Ohio" (as Brady Hoke would say).

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[MamaMia]

This is what happens when we allow our children to wear crap like that to daycare.

[cvsooner]

Arrest the parents for child abuse. Putting a defenseless child into a Michigan t-shirt in Oklahoma...the horror!

[swardboy]

+1

[SoonerKnight]

WOW!! They allow them to where OSU shirts!!??

[vtsooner21]

What's going on in the Sooner Nation? A Valedictorian during her graduation speech in Prague uses the ultimate profanity- hell, (as in, "I'm not sure what the hell I'm going to do in the future" ##%**#@%* Gasp!!!) and is not awarded her diploma publicly. And now this 5 year old told to turn his shirt inside out...Gang color association...Well, last I knew, regardless of what was on a t shirt, the other side (inside) was usually the same color...What a gangsta!!! Hurry up football season!

Boomer

[Harry Beanbag]

Another embarrassment for the state of Oklahoma.

[XingTheRubicon]

Just follow the ****ing rules. Michigan sucks anyway.

[olevetonahill]

The little bastard should be expelled permanently

[KantoSooner]

More of this crap from the nanny generation. Wearing a Michigan shirt should earn you disdain or a beating on the playground, not administrative action. It's no wonder the youth of today are all pussies.

grump, grump, grump

[Fraggle145]

Another embarrassment for the state of Oklahoma.

You mean a normal day.

[goingoneight]

Wearing an OSU shirt is acceptable now? Must be something along those "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rules.

I feel bad for the kid, though. Wearing a Michigan shirt is not "wrong" in any way. That's a stupid dress code. If a 5-year old gets into trouble for wearing a Michigan shirt, the little ****s wearing Justin Bieber shirts should, too.

[budbarrybob]

Any society that will give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both - Benjamin Franklin.
Before we know it we'll have no right to pray, wear what we want or have any say in how our kids are raised. Oh wait, nm. Too late.

[BoomerJ]

That boy was a Crip!

[Pricetag]

This is the kind of rule that the district is screwed if they don't have, and screwed if they have to enforce.

[yermom]

if you can't wear Michigan, you shouldn't be able to wear OU or OSU

that is a stupid rule. how is a 5 year old supposed to get that?

[olevetonahill]

if you can't wear Michigan, you shouldn't be able to wear OU or OSU

that is a stupid rule. how is a 5 year old supposed to get that?

He aint , His parents on the other hand should.

Just saw where Michigan are making a big deal out of this Gonna fly the Kid and his folks up there fer a game . Plus had him a shirt made that when ys turn iy Inside outters it still says Michigan

Thats real bright . That just bget the kid sent home .

[Midtowner]

It's a district-wide rule meant to prevent the wearing of gang colors. I'm actually fine with the rule and how it was enforced. This wasn't a draconian measure. If the child in question was a black teenager, there'd be a lot of folks on this board who would think the policy likely protected the students from harm.

[picasso]

Oh yes, this board is chock full of racists. And interracialists. pfffttt...

[goingoneight]

I can't tell you how many times I've been scared ****less of a ****ing five-year old in "gang" colors before.

By the way, crimson (red) and orange are both gang colors, too. They've been known to get your sack ripped off and your liquor store robbed.

[SoonerinSouthlake]

either the parents didnt know about the rule...or they sent their poor squid to school just so they could be "up in arms" if the rule got enforced..either way, dumb parents.

[Phil]

I remember when this rule first came in - it was no sports team clothes of any kind. People got all pissed about it because their kids couldn't wear their OU and OSU stuff, so they changed it. I understand why they did it, but elementary school? C'mon, man. Of course, I wouldn't let my kids near an OKC District school for any reason, especially to be enrolled there.

[FaninAma]

This is the kind of rule that the district is screwed if they don't have, and screwed if they have to enforce.

This may be the most insightful post I have read on this board since Beano'sFourthChin quit posting here.

Parents need to learn the rules and abide by them. If they don't care for them then work to have them changed.

The same goes for the student and her parents in Prague. I could give a flip what she said in her speech as long as the school's administration ok'd it. That's the rules. You
submit your speech for approval by the school administration. You agree to what they change. If you don't like it then you are free to decline to speak.

There are some parents who will continue to press the issue no matter how clear the rule is or the logic behind creating the rule once they find out the rules were bent for one student. So administrators have to appear rigid and , at times, silly. They have a very tough job and I do not envy them one bit.

[TheUnnamedSooner]

Michigan AD responds...

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/michigan-ad-supports-oklahoma-youngster-banned-wearing-michigan-171527708--ncaaf.html



Cooper Barton, the 5-year-old elementary schooler from Oklahoma, who was forced to turn his Michigan shirt inside out at school because of a dress code violation, captured the attention of many, including Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon, when his story went viral Tuesday.

"There is a regulation in the Oklahoma school system that if it isn't a university of Oklahoma shirt, you can't wear it," Brandon said while meeting with the media Wednesday. "What a bunch of crap, right?"

So Brandon decided to invite Barton and his family to a Michigan game and Brandon said the university will put them on the video board to acknowledge them as loyal fans.

But Brandon also had one other surprise.

He said after hearing the story, he went to the M Den, the official merchandise retailer for Michigan athletics, and asked the store to make a special T-shirt for Barton. The T-shirt is a typical blue and maize Michigan football shirt, not unlike the one Barton was sporting to school that day, but when it's turned inside out, the word Michigan still appears on the chest.

When Brandon demonstrated the shirt, he got several laughs and a round of applause as he shouted: "So, the hell with those people!" as he tossed the shirt into the crowd.

What a great response by Michigan. They could have ignored the story or even reached out to the family quietly, but I like the fact that Brandon made a big deal about it. We all know dress codes are in place for a reason, but restricting non-offensive athletic apparel that doesn't represent one of the state's schools is kind of ridiculous, especially when we're talking about a 5-year-old.

Congratulations young Cooper Barton, you are now a Michigan cult hero.

[badger]

Meh, this story will die, much like the young KSU fan that refused to color the Jayhawk in some Kansas kindergarten.

But for now, take your 15 mins of fame all the way to the Big House. :)

[Soonerjeepman]

This is the kind of rule that the district is screwed if they don't have, and screwed if they have to enforce.

yup...as a teacher in a public school...ele in urban area....we had our dealings with "gangs"...went to a uniform..parents voted and approved. Got to agree with above...seems some folks just have to pi$$ in the wind once in awhile.

As a public school we have to cater to EVERYONE or no one. I don't have a problem with the rule...take a drive by a public HS at dismissal or opening, you'll be shocked what kids wear...

[SicEmBaylor]

Another embarrassment for the state of Oklahoma.
Exactly.

[SicEmBaylor]

yup...as a teacher in a public school...ele in urban area....we had our dealings with "gangs"...went to a uniform..parents voted and approved. Got to agree with above...seems some folks just have to pi$$ in the wind once in awhile.

As a public school we have to cater to EVERYONE or no one. I don't have a problem with the rule...take a drive by a public HS at dismissal or opening, you'll be shocked what kids wear...
A collegiate t-shirt from an out of state school constitutes "gang related apparel?"

Let me tell you what I think. I think this is another example of out of control government bureaucratic bull**** that reduces liberty at schools err Government Indoctrination Centers.

[MamaMia]

Over the top rule. People from Michigan need not be so hypocritical. Two wrongs don't make a right, however this dress code from Saginaw Michigan public schools is over the top as well. No team logos at all except on their own teams Spirit Days...

http://www.spsd.net/ourschools/dress.htm

[Since71ASooner4Life]

Sadly, a Michigan jersey is a symbol of that nauseating bastion of liberalism called Ann Arbor. Tell the little tyke not to grow up that way and to get on board with a real football team

[Midtowner]

Legally, I don't think the school has a leg to stand on. You have to have a rational reason to do this sort of thing. If we're worried about gang colors, there are 64 colleges or universities in the state all with their very own colors. If we're discriminating against only out of state schools, that'll leave students with the means to still wear whatever colors they want to within the rules.

That said, school uniforms would have done the trick and I'd have been a-ok with that.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Just follow the ****ing rules. Michigan sucks anyway.Silly as*ed reporter musta been a freakin' whorn.

[allanace16]

I still don't get why all of a sudden this is a big deal. My first year out of private school and in OKCPS was '94, and the rule was still you couldn't wear anything from pro teams or college teams besides the in-state schools. It's damn near 20 years later and all of a sudden it's a ruckus. I remember a kid having to strip to his underwear in middle school cause he was decked out in Penn State gear (there's a joke in there somewhere I'm sure). Yeah I thought the rule was dumb then but it is what it is. Hell, according to the rule, Thunder gear is still banned. That makes far less sense than anything related to Michigan being off the table. I think it was just a slow news day.

[yermom]

A collegiate t-shirt from an out of state school constitutes "gang related apparel?"

Let me tell you what I think. I think this is another example of out of control government bureaucratic bull**** that reduces liberty at schools err Government Indoctrination Centers.

i don't always agree with SicEm, but when i do...

stupid kids are going to be in gangs. a college shirt isn't changing anything.

[MamaMia]

When I was growing up, we had a dress code. In it were things like how high a hem could be above the knee, how low a neckline could be on a blouse, no words on clothing other than brand names (like IZOD for example) , no open toed shoes, things like that. On game days we could wear our teams logo if you were in the pep club and the boys wore their football jerseys. If we had a Spring Fair or dance, we could wear what we wanted but back in those days, dressing appropriately was a given and just something parents would oversee. I never thought that my freedom of expression was being undermined. It just never occurred to any of us.

[Fraggle145]

i don't always agree with SicEm, but when i do...

stupid kids are going to be in gangs. a college shirt isn't changing anything.

Guns dont kill people, people do. Or something like that...

[bluedogok]

Silly as*ed reporter musta been a freakin' whorn.
The report that I read on USA Today had the rule listed as a state law, then a city ordinance and finally as an OKCPS rule. Seems to me the reporter couldn't get anything right.

More stupid rules for the sake of having stupid rules.....evidently Putnam City doesn't have the same rule because my nephew had a school pic taken with a Green Bay Packers shirt on in the pic.

[Soonerjeepman]

A collegiate t-shirt from an out of state school constitutes "gang related apparel?"

Let me tell you what I think. I think this is another example of out of control government bureaucratic bull**** that reduces liberty at schools err Government Indoctrination Centers.

I do agree with your sentiment, unfortunately I'm sure you are not living in nor live in an urban run down area of town? Where a thing as simple as a COLOR of a shirt means "war"..YES it is bull**** BUT I'm prob like you..white suburban person who never has had to deal with this. It's seems so senseless from our point of view but when ya got nothing it might mean more. Just a thought.
It's a different mentality out here...really is. There is no future for some...it's about right now.

[picasso]

You guys stop! you're supposed to talk about how embarrassing Oklahoma is and what backwards goobers we are and...

[MsProudSooner]

I do agree with your sentiment, unfortunately I'm sure you are not living in nor live in an urban run down area of town? Where a thing as simple as a COLOR of a shirt means "war"..YES it is bull**** BUT I'm prob like you..white suburban person who never has had to deal with this. It's seems so senseless from our point of view but when ya got nothing it might mean more. Just a thought.
It's a different mentality out here...really is. There is no future for some...it's about right now.

If it's really that bad, it's time for them to switch to uniforms.

[C&CDean]

1. I am an Oklahoman.

2. I ain't embarrassed by this.

3. If you are, you're a dildo.