A group of Arab-American students in the class of 2011 at Dearborn's Edsel Ford High told school officials they were showing pride in their class with their choice of sweatshirts Monday.
But school officials disagreed, confiscating the sweatshirts and scheduling meetings with the students and their parents because the images on the sweatshirts referenced the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Along with the words, "You can't bring us down," the sweatshirts featured the No. 11 as the twin towers with windows included on each digit. The school's mascot, a thunderbird, was flying nearby.
"The whole design gave prominence to the 9/11 tragedy, and of course was very upsetting to staff and students," said an e-mail message sent Monday and Tuesday from the district to local groups and individuals. A similar e-mail message explaining the situation was sent to parents and staff Monday.
School officials said the students didn't realize the sweatshirts would be perceived negatively and would not be punished.
An estimated 300 people attended a public meeting on the topic Tuesday evening at Salina Intermediate School. Superintendent Brian Whiston and Edsel Ford High Principal Hassane Jaafar were among those who addressed the predominantly Arab-American crowd during the 20-minute meeting.
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