Jared Marcum, an 8th grader in Logan, County West Virginia, has been expelled from school, arrested and is facing charges of disrupting an educational process and obstructing an officer. All of this from simply wearing a NRA t-shirt with a hunting rifle featured on it. However, he didn't violate any school policies by doing so.

One of Jared's teachers felt the shirt inappropriate and asked him if he felt he should be wearing it. Jared responded he felt it was fine and refused to take of the shirt. In doing so, standing up for his rights, and not violating any school policies he found himself expelled from school, arrested and facing charges.

Those school policies, by the way, are this (as stated in their dress code): no
profanity, violence, discriminatory messages or sexually suggestive phrases. Shirts that advertise tobacco, drugs or alcohol are also prohibited. No where in the policy does it state you can not wear a shirt with a gun on it.

Now I realize that with the latest bombing in Boston and the Newtown shooting that some are on heightened awareness, but that does not give you the right to squash someones rights.

This kid did nothing wrong, legally or otherwise, he did not violate school policy. Maybe it wasn't the best choice of shirt to wear but it wasn't wrong either.

The teacher and administrators need to remember this is a 14 year old kid. His parent/s should have been called to the school before the police. From everything I've seen he was not in anyway being violent; he was just standing up for his rights. This was not a matter the police should have ever been summoned too. It was a waste of taxpayers money and again he wasn't doing anything wrong. He wore something the teacher and administrators did not personally agree with, that does not warrant the force taken in this matter.

Marcum does have a lawyer and they are working to get Jared reinstated to school and the charges dropped.

I'm sure this is something that spun out of control pretty fast and upon a second look everyone has a better understanding of the situation. Maybe the school should look at re-writing their dress code to include guns, maybe the teacher should have said 'hey that's not a good choice of shirt to wear to school at this time', maybe the kid and or parents say 'ok we won't wear this to school again'. It would have been nice to just look at the situation in a more calm manner.

 

Do you agree with the teacher/administrators/school on this? Are our most simple rights being stripped away in the name of fear and political correctness? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

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