Central Valley Boy Defies Order To Take Off Trump Hat At School
FRESNO (CBS SF) – A 9-year-old boy in the Central Valley said he was ordered to remove his cap supporting presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, after school officials said they were worried about his safety.
Logan Autry, a third grader at an elementary school in Fresno, said he was ordered to take off his hat last week due to safety concerns after he was confronted by other classmates.
"They told me to take my hat off because it brings negative emotions to the other children who don't like him," Logan told KSEE-TV in Fresno. "The First Amendment says I can wear my hat."
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The boy refused to remove his hat, even after being asked by the principal.
Logan has taken an interest in politics and attended the candidate's rally in Fresno with his uncle last month. According to the Los Angeles Times, Logan met the businessman and he autographed a red cap with the candidate's "Make America Great Again" slogan for him.
The district's dress code (.pdf) allows for hats to be worn outside of the classroom. But item that "creates a safety concern, draws undue attention to the wearer, or tends to detract from the educational process" can be prohibited.
Superintendent Michael Hanson told the Times on Monday that Logan was asked to remove the hat "after there was an incident of substantial disruption," but said that Logan was not banned from school or banned from wearing the hat.
Logan said he planned to keep wearing his hat through until the last day of school. But according to Snopes, the hat was destroyed by the family dog soon after the controversy began.
In April, an unscientific poll of 2,000 K-12 teachers by the Southern Poverty Law Center found many teachers seeing an increase in uncivil political discourse on campus during this election year. Some also reported seeing anti-Muslim or anti-immigrant sentiment.
