Student silenced for supporting Trump

Another example of wiping noses and changing diapers in our public schools occurred last week, as a school in New Hampshire put the kibosh on a students' right to freely express herself. This begs the question -- again: Who are we raising -- young people who can thrive in the world or wusses who fall into a fetal position when offended?

Ciretta Mackenzie, a freshman at Epping High School, wore a Trump campaign hat with the Make America Great Again slogan on it and a Trump T-shirt to school for Patriotic Day, also dubbed "America Pride Day." I'll concede kudos to the school for still having such days. Too many work hard at making our students ashamed of our country, rather than celebrating our exceptionalism. Apparently, however, pride in the country doesn't extend to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, not during the current administration.

Superintendent Valerie McKenny reportedly said the Trump gear violated the school's dress code, but an examination of the policy suggests that assertion is false.

"It's just a shirt, and it only says 'Trump: Make America Great Again.' It doesn't say anything like 'build a wall,' so I don't get how it could be offensive, how it could be disrespectful," Mackenzie said.

That this young lady has more sense than those hired to educate her. It also looks like she has more self-restraint than most. I taught in the public school for nearly 20 years and have seen students who were wearing clothing that actually did violate school policy become livid, refusing to comply with the demand to change their attire and offer choice words in the process. For her part, Mackenzie, who admitted she was embarrassed, obliged, borrowed a sweatshirt and removed her hat. She also followed up by taking a stand for her rights, which is why it is now public knowledge. Part of raising children to function well in society is teaching them to balance respect with a backbone. Mackenzie seems to possess both. The superintendent has since said she will not comment at this point, stating only that the investigation is ongoing and that at its conclusion, the school "will take steps to remedy this situation for all parties involved and ensure that this type of situation never happens again in any Epping school."

How does this happen to begin with? How does someone get reprimanded for wearing a slogan that the President of the United States has made famous? Even if one does not like the person in the Oval Office, he is still the leader of the country. Wearing a shirt with his name should not be a no-no. So what if someone disagrees with the White House occupant. We will spend our lives disagreeing with people. Being an adult means dealing with it. Get over yourselves, people. We do children a disservice by trying to protect them from people with whom they disagree. We're setting them up to become people who blow up because someone had a different viewpoint. These become the people who turn over desks -- or worse -- in their workplace because someone likes one basketball team while they like another. Adults should be in the business of encouraging healthy debate. And in this case, there really wasn't anything to debate. I mean, it was America Pride Day. Why should a child be made to feel ashamed of America or America's president on this of all days?

And let's all be honest. Does anyone think this would have gone down if Barack Obama were still president? We all know the answer, and we all know why. I can come up with two off the top of my head. 1) This happened at a public school, and a public school is a hotbed of liberalism and 2) he's black -- part black, anyway. No need to say more. Anyone who denies that this situation would have been handled differently under Obama's tenure is not being truthful.

I applaud Mackenzie for following up and standing up for her First Amendment rights -- and doing so with class. Her ability to articulate her perspective, as I read and saw in video news coverage, is admirable. It would tickle me to no end if after the investigation -- What is there to investigate, really? Just apologize -- she wore Trump gear every day for a week. OK, that would make her a noodge, and she's probably too mature for that. That would be something I'd be tempted to do!

In any case, I am rooting for this young lady not because I want to trumpet Trump. I stand in her corner because no matter what I or you or anyone thinks of the president, we don't get to silence people who aren't violating rules, and we shouldn't get to "protect" people from being uncomfortable.

Adrienne Ross is owner of Adrienne Ross Communications and a former Southeast Missourian editorial board member. Contact her at aross@semissourian.com.