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This is the letter that I received from Amy Nimz after I wrote a scathing letter about their school regulations.

“Hello,

I recently received your email expressing your concerns, and wanted to share some background.

As you may know, recently a middle school student at Dexter McCarty Middle School in the Gresham-Barlow School District wore a t-shirt to school that had a rifle on it. Some news reports state the student was suspended. This was not the case nor was there a threat of suspension. The administration did talk with the student about the appropriateness of the image on his shirt. The parent of the student agreed to allow the student to go home after the student refused other options such as putting his sweatshirt back on which he removed part way through the day.

We are aware the rifle on the student’s t-shirt featured a Fallen Soldier Battle Cross, which is a symbol used to show respect for fallen troops. The message of the t-shirt, showing support for our country’s military, and their many sacrifices, is a positive one that we fully support. What called into question the appropriateness of the t-shirt in a middle school setting was the rifle included in the image.

While the district’s dress code does not allow clothing with images of weapons, in light of this situation, we will take a closer look at our policy. This is an opportunity to engage the community in a conversation about school safety and the age appropriate ways to express support for our military veterans in a school setting.

We the staff of Dexter McCarty Middle School and the Gresham-Barlow School District greatly appreciates the service provided to our country by the members of the United States military and the many sacrifices made by veterans and their families to defend our country.

Sincerely,

Amy Nimz
Assistant Principal
Dexter McCarty Middle School
503.665.0148
nimz@gresham.k12.or.us“