Earlier this week, I wrote about a 9-year-old North Carolina boy who was being teased at school for wearing a “girlie” My Little Pony backpack to school. Administrators at Hyatt Elementary initially tried to solve the problem by telling Grayson Bruce to not wear his beloved backpack, telling him was a “trigger for bullying.”

But then a social media firestorm ensued. Grayson’s mom, Noreen Bruce, launched a Support for Grayson Facebook page, attracting over 70,000 fans, and people all over the world wrote in messages telling the boy that his love for My Little Pony is awesome. Men posted images of themselves holding pony dolls. Media outlets across the country picked up the story and it sounds like the folks over at Hyatt Elementary heard the outcry because they’ve changed their minds and are letting Grayson wear his Rainbow Dash backpack to school.

Yesterday, administrators at Buncombe County School district met with Grayson’s parents and they posted a message on the district Facebook page.

We have appreciated the opportunity to meet with the Bruce family and discuss the issues. We sincerely regret that the issue of being told to leave the bookbag at home was perceived as blaming Grayson. While that was not the intent, the perception became reality. We support Grayson bringing the bookbag to school. We discussed a number of options to consider in moving forward for Grayson. All of the options discussed included a safety transition plan and an allowance for Grayson to bring the bookbag to school. Every situation with young children is a teachable moment and we will use this example in our efforts to address a wider issue of bullying. The Bruce family has committed to working with us to improve and enhance our anti-bullying programs. We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding as we continue to work collaboratively with the family toward a resolution that is best for Grayson and his classmates at Candler Elementary School.

Noreen also posted a Facebook message and she expressed how happy she was with the school’s decision.

Today I met with Dr. Tony Baldwin, Superintendent of the Buncombe County Schools and David Thompson, Director of Student Services. We had a real heart-to-heart talk. I strongly feel we can work together to make things better for Grayson and all the students in our school system. We are working with Mr. Thompson to help organize a Parent Advisory Council on Bullying. We will partner with them to make sure that every child feels safe and comfortable at school. After our talk this morning I’m confident that we can make strides in that area. We appreciate all of your support from the bottom of our hearts! That outpouring of love from everyone has been unbelievable and has given us the opportunity to shine a light on the different kinds of hurts kids experience at school. We are considering all options for getting Grayson back in school. We are pleased the school system is working closely with us. All of the options include Grayson taking his “My Little Pony” bag to school.

Grayson is a loyal fan of the Hub children’s cable network series “Friendship is Magic,” that follows a studious unicorn named Twilight Sparkle and her friends Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. The show is a revival and remake of the original 1980s and 90s My Little Pony animated TV and film franchise and loved by parents and critics as it tastefully and gracefully presents themes around friendship, honesty, loyalty, kindness and generosity. “Friendship is Magic” delves deeper into the pony characters than the original series did and a result is attracting a broader audience.

Hasbro created the show for a girl audience but it has quickly become popular among all sexes and a recent New York Times story opens with a scene featuring a boy sitting on No. 4 train in Manhattan wearing a 3-foot-tall Pinkie Pie doll on his back. In other words, Grayson is far from the only boy watching this show.

I think whether the show is intended for boys or girls is irrelevant. Today’s society is tied less to gender stereotypes and we’re headed in a new direction where it’s becoming more acceptable for girls to wear blue and boys pink. I’m glad the school reversed its decision and is allowing Grayson to wear his backpack to school.