Honour student banned from her graduation because she wore this shirt

A student at Hickory Ridge High School, Harrisburg North Carolina was almost taken into police custody for the shirt she was wearing.

It wasn’t even one of those atheist shirts sassing Islam and Christianity.

Summer, an honour (really good) student, was banned from her high school graduation and suspended for wearing this green top, even after she submitted to a request from the school’s Principal Michelle Cline to cover the shirt.

Despite being zipped up in a jacket borrowed from a friend, Summer was told to go to the school’s control room and change.

I completely understand why a dress code is put into place but I feel like after I put on that jacket it should have been subdued,

Due to issues Summer has had with the principal during the last four years, she says that her mother told Hickory Ridge High that they must phone her, before they take further disciplinary action against Summer.

For this reason, Summer refused to go to the control room until they had spoken to her mother. She says when the principal was unable to reach her mother, he and school security approached her with an ultimatum – go and change, or face disciplinary action.

According to Summer, the school security guard even put their hand on their gun. (Guns in schools, because “freedom”).

Her mother called back just in time, before the guard could allegedly ‘arrest’ Summer and place her in handcuffs.

She was purportedly taken to the control room and suspended for 10 days, and banned from attending her graduation.

It's just sad because I worked so hard for four years to walk across that stage.

We have drug dealers walking across that stage, we have sex offenders walking across that stage and then the 4.4 student who showed her shoulders can't.

The Carrabus County Schools Communications Director Ronnye Boone gave this comment:

Cabarrus County Schools complies with all laws and regulations governing privacy, as well as policies set by the Cabarrus County Board of Education. And as such, we are not at liberty to discuss students or student discipline

This is not the first time Hickory Ridge has enforced a harsh dress code policy. According to WCNC, earlier this school year Principal Cline summoned 45 students to her office for wearing leggings with shirts that were ‘too short’.

Since the story was published on WCNC, a debate has begun in the Charlotte community. According Cabarrus Sheriff Brad Riley, the school’s county school officials have received over 5,000 emails and hundreds of phone calls regarding the situation.

Another media outlet, the Independent Tribune, published a piece last updated on Wednesday, saying that the outrage over the incident had ‘gone too far’, and was based on a ‘one sided’ account due to the fact that the school is restricted from commenting.

Yet the article on Independent Tribune, which is sceptical in tone, questions many details which aren’t even in the account given by Summer to WCNC.

The mob justice of social media has called for Principal Cline to be sued, and fired. Old blog posts by Cline, and her career history have been shared online, and she’s been demonised online by several people who do not claim to have ever met her.

According to the county sheriff, some of the complaints are of such a nature that they’re now being investigated as possible threats.

The WCNC report from Sunday stated that Summer’s mother was appealing the decision.

HT WCNC, Independent Tribune, Heavy, Bored Panda