The Briefing Room
General Category => National/Breaking News => Topic started by: rangerrebew on March 19, 2014, 06:22:11 pm
-
School Bans Bullied Boy's My Little Pony Backpack, Faces Backlash
Tuesday, 18 Mar 2014 07:10 PM
By Angela Deines
A 9-year-old North Carolina boy is getting nationwide attention and support after his school told him last week he could no longer bring his My Little Pony backpack to school because the school claims the bag “triggered bullying.”
Noreen Bruce, the boy’s mother, informed the principal at Candler Elementary in Asheville, N.C., that her son, Grayson Bruce, was getting bullied for wearing the small My Little Pony backpack, which he was using as his lunch box, to school, the Citizen-Times reported.
Urgent: Do You Approve Or Disapprove of President Obama's Job Performance? Vote Now in Urgent Poll
The school then told the boy to simply stop bringing the backpack, causing a national outcry, including support from one of the cartoon’s creators, Lauren Faust, and conservative radio show host Glenn Beck.
Story continues below video.
“I absolutely never expected this kind of response,” Noreen Bruce told the Citizen-Times. “I just wanted my 9-year-old to be allowed to be a kid, and to be who he is.
It means the world to him to know that not everyone is cruel, to see this kind of support,” she added. “It’s been great for him.”
A Facebook page with a #SupportforGrayson hashtag has also garnered nearly 35,000 “likes” as of Tuesday afternoon.
Noreen Bruce said children at Grayson’s school were shoving her son and calling him “horrible names” for carrying small blue bag with the cartoon pony that is usually geared toward girls.
She said she plans to meet with the school district’s superintendent on Thursday to discuss the incident.
Jason Rhodes, the Buncombe County Schools spokesman, told the Citizen-Times that Candler Elementary “wants to resolve the issue” but said because of legal considerations, he couldn’t comment further specifically about Grayson. However, Rhodes released the following statement:
“First and foremost, our schools take any allegations of bullying seriously and work diligently in all cases to resolve the issues in the best interest of students. We have programs in place to prevent, report, and intervene to keep our students safe and protected. Our counselors and social workers teach anti-bullying strategies and provide counseling support as well.”
Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/school-boy-my-little-pony-backpack/2014/03/18/id/560364#ixzz2wQyjI4rr
Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!
-
He's only 9. Not even a brony. Just a kid who likes a rather sweet show with a nice message of friendship and courage (Yes, I watch it with the grandkids.)
-
That's sad. I bet if the boy chose to dress as and call himself a girl, they wouldn't have told him to stop doing it!
-
That's sad. I bet if the boy chose to dress as and call himself a girl, they wouldn't have told him to stop doing it!
Oh, you can be sure of that.
And the administration wouldn't be blaming the kid being bullied and make him go home and take off the dress and put some pants on.
What a mixed up world we live in!
(I wonder if they make boys who carry violins or cellos to school stop bringing them, because the other boys call them nasty names??)
-
When my granddaughter was 12, she still played with Barbie Dolls, but in private. She didn't want other kids to make fun of her, as they had in the past. I told her I bet those little girls play with them, too. When she had a sleep-over, she and a school mate played with her Barbies. There is a stigma put on kids who take their time growing up.
-
He's only 9. Not even a brony. Just a kid who likes a rather sweet show with a nice message of friendship and courage (Yes, I watch it with the grandkids.)
I watch it with my daughter sometimes (in large part 'cause I'm not allowed to have the remote any more).