A Buckeye, Ariz., high school banned a student from wearing “Black Lives Matter” T-shirts.
Mariah Havard, a tenth grade student at Buckeye High School, arrived for picture day wearing a shirt with the phrase on it Tuesday. She says she was told to go to the school’s office, where administrators informed her that the shirt wasn’t allowed.
“I wasn’t able to wear the shirt anymore because somebody made a complaint,” Havard told KNPX-TV. “I was a little bit confused as to why I wouldn’t be able to wear something so meaningful to me.”
According to Havard, 15, the shirt violated the school’s dress policy. She says the assistant principal said the policy bans clothing and accessories which can “disrupt the educational process.”
Havard’s family and other’s believe she was treated unfairly, especially since they say the school has a history of allowing students to wear shirts supporting a cause, including garments that could be considered offensive.
“I’ve seen gay pride shirts, I’ve seen confederate flags,” Genesis Santoyo, a student at Buckeye said. “I’ve actually seen a white power shirt once.”
After Santoyo filed a complaint claiming the school had a double standard, officials banned Confederate flag clothing from campus.
So far, the school district has not responded to media requests for comment.
