Awww come on now Rhode island...You really want to ban this?
 

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PROVIDENCE — Christan Morales said her son just wanted to honor American troops when he wore a hat to school decorated with an American flag and small plastic Army figures.

But the school banned the hat because it ran afoul of the district’s zero-tolerance weapons policy. Why? The toy soldiers were carrying tiny guns.

“His teacher called and said it wasn’t appropriate,’’ Morales said.

Morales’s son, David, 8, had been assigned to make a hat for the day when his second-grade class would meet their pen pals from another school. She and her son came up with an idea to add patriotic decorations to a camouflage hat.

Earlier this week, after the hat was banned, the principal at the Tiogue School in Coventry told the family that the hat would be fine if David replaced the Army men holding weapons with ones that did not have any, according to Superintendent Kenneth R. Di Pietro.

But, Morales said, the family had only one Army figure without a weapon (he was carrying binoculars), so David wore a plain baseball cap on the day of the pen pal meeting.

“Nothing was being done to limit patriotism, creativity, other than find an alternative to a weapon,’’ Di Pietro said.

The district does not allow images of weapons or drugs on clothing. For example, a student would not be permitted to wear a shirt with a picture of a marijuana leaf on it, the superintendent said.

The principal “wasn’t denying the patriotism,’’ Di Pietro said. “That just is the wrong and unfair image of one of our finest principals.’’

Yesterday, Di Pietro and the principal met with the retired commander of the Rhode Island National Guard at the commander’s request.

Lieutenant General Reginald Centracchio praised the school system for supporting the military in the past, including with a junior ROTC program.

But he said he disagreed with the decision to ban the hat and hoped it offered a chance for the school to review its policies.

“The American soldier is armed. That’s why they’re called the armed forces,’’ he said. “If you’re going to portray it any other way, you miss the point.’’

He said he intends to give David a medal to express veterans’ appreciation that he would pay tribute to their service.

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...and he got it too...

They suspended him? I thought they just had him wear a plain ball cap. Also...is it bad if I kind of think it's for the kid's own good? Army guys on a hat with a flag does not a patriotic hat make, it's just kind of silly looking.

Ummm...what the hell is the world coming to? I weap for the future and the children who grew up during these bullshit zero tolerance times. A papercut is going to be considered traumatic for them.

I mean I understand that they have 'zero tolerance' rule from having images of weapons portrayed but seriously?????

I think they're usually just protecting their asses from other parents and the lawyers. But, I still maintain the kid looks silly.

Then let him...he's only in the 2nd grade...hehehe

Hey, his mom helped him! I sense a serious lack of taste in the family! (For reals the whole debate is silly, i think zero tolerance rules are silly, but no child should have pictures of him in that hat to exist even 10 years later!)

When zero tolerance rules are enacted, it's an admission that the district thinks their administrators are complete and utter failures as human beings, but lack the cojones to properly deal with them. Bureaucracy at its finest.

Where have all the cowboys gone tooooooooooo???

Now, I'd understand suspending him for running afoul of the Fashion Police, but for bringing guns to school?! You've got to be kidding me?! Can you be suspended for drawing a gun on a piece of paper?

Still, he's in second grade and it was sort of for a project. In 10 years, he'd look back on that picture and smile--personally, I would. Sure the hat is tacky and I would never wear it, but I don't see anything wrong with that kid wearing it.

And the fact that it was dealt with in this manner is stupid. I totally agree with Kevin.

I am not understanding why people missed that part. My school also had "hat day" when I was his age.

I don't find it tacky.

We weren't allowed to wear hats at all inside the classroom.

Personally, I find it tacky in the fact that I wouldn't wear it on a normal day...

If I had the same project (in any grade, honestly), you better believe I would have streamers and fireworks and whatever other patriotic thing I could think of and I'd be happy with it. Depending on the age, I'm sure my mother would help me and let me run with my idea as much as possible.

Letting your imagination run wild is one of the best parts of being a kid. :)

ETA: Same here. We weren't allowed to wear hats inside of any building. I still can't wear a hat in my parents' house. :P I think this day may have been an exception, though... not sure.

Guys seriously he's in second grade, does he really need to worry about fashion?

It was for a special occasion anyway. Any moron can tell the difference between clothing glorifying violence and this hat. Zero-tolerance policies are out of control.

I think schools feel stuck, and although quite frankly I'd rather them use sensible policies and not the zero tolerance crap, if they let this kid slide, then the next kid who wears a T-shirt with someone shooting guns can't get in trouble, otherwise helicopter mommy and daddy will sue over their special must-wear-his-glock-shirt snowflake.

I think the Zero Tolerance policies are a symptom not the cause.

♫ Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination...♫ :)

I think, to a point, the school is being made the villain here. They have a policy that you can't wear weapons-related clothing and the hat counts. Saying "They banned the hat" it sounds a lot worse than "They asked him to put it in his cubby for the day." Honestly, it sucks but I doubt he's scarred for life.

Not allowing the hat because of the action figures' tiny accessories was overkill. However, having a veteran present the kid with a medal to prove the opposite point was also overkill.

Hey Drolefille, where did it say he was suspended? I didn't see that in the article.

DS's original title was that he'd been suspended.

America has gotten out of control with everyone being so scared that they might accidentally offend someone. Political correctness is total crap in my opinion and the fact that the school reprimanded him for being PATRIOTIC really pisses off me when I know young men and women are dying for their country every day. This reminds me of an incident in California (where else?) where students were sent home for wearing American flag t-shirts. Check Fox News for the article it was in the beginning of June I believe. What has our great country come to if an 8 year old can't be patriotic at school?

They didn't reprimand him for being patriotic.

That's one of those hyperbolic statements that crosses into being a lie. They refused to let him wear guns on his hat. He can be as patriotic as he likes without depictions of weapons in any form. Hate the policy but stop trying to flag it as a war on patriotism. (And don't use our soldiers as a political currency, we have enough people trying to do that and they don't need your help.)

The flag T-shirt thing was another matter and I believe the school apologized for the actions.

I think you're referring to the students who wore those shirts during Cinco De Mayo. Not exactly the same situation.

I just wish they'd have the guts to stand up to parents. Little plastic toy soldiers are par for the course when it comes to boys' play things. The intent is very obviously not to promote violence. If they'd have what it takes to tell other parents their kid can't wear a t-shirt with a glock on it to school, this wouldn't be a problem. I understand it can be a little trickier with policies regarding things like medication, but this hat? Seriously?

Quite frankly, I would ban that hat too, not because of the guns, but because those things look sharp and someone could impale themselves on it. (I'm thinking of the Seinfeld where George's dad sat on the fusilli Jerry.) Not only that, the hat is way too big for him and he looks like an idiot.

$$$$$.
I think you see this more often in public schools but that could be biased on my part. My private schools all had uniforms/dress codes and you couldn't even have a T-shirt that you could see anything printed on through your polo. They had no trouble making you wear a rope belt if you forgot yours often enough
That was my argument ;)

The school out in CA did apologize, but I think this is just out there. I can understand if he showed up wearing a T-shirt that had a life sized glock or a shotgun on it, but little green toy soldiers???

Hey, like I said, hate the zero tolerance policy all you like ;)

He did this for a project not some show of patriotism. Oh and by the way he's friggin 8! Not that he can't be patriotic but if a kid that age is "patriotic" I am gonna look heavily at his adult influences.

This kid's hat wasn't banned because of the fact that it was sharp, or because it was too patriotic, or because it made for an awful fashion statement…

It was banned because the soldiers were carrying "weapons" (assuming, of course, that the reason the school gave was true and honest). However, if I were this kid's teacher, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. Why is this the focus of attention when kids are bringing ACTUAL weapons into schools? The poor kid was probably excited about his hat (as I always was on hat day in elementary school, when I looked equally as dumb), and now he's become the focus of a ridiculous national news report.

And I'm sorry, but saying that they should have banned the hat because the weapons are sharp objects is ridiculous. Why don't we just ban pencils? And paper clips? And demand that toothpicks can never be used again for another school project!

You forgot knives for cutting glue...

@33girl.... aww come on now...green army men? Sharp? I have to pass the *rolling eyes* at you. Please tell me you aren't serious...hehehehe I think we all at some point have played with toy soldiers in our childhood and they are by far one of the least dangerous toys out there

I remember them as being pointy. IDK, we didn't play with them that much. Mostly Barbie and PJ were sneaking into GI Joe's lookout tower once Ken was asleep. LOL.