A North Carolina school has banned a boy, 9, from bringing his My Little Pony backpack to school, calling it a "trigger for bullying."

"They're taking it a little too far, with punching me, pushing me down, calling me horrible names -- stuff that really shouldn't happen," Grayson Bruce of Buncombe County told News ABC 13.

But rather than target the bullies, the school punished Grayson, telling him to leave his bag at home.

"Saying a lunchbox is a trigger for bullying is like saying a short skirt is a trigger for rape. It's flawed logic, it doesn't make any sense," said his mom, Noreen Bruce.

More than 16,000 people have liked a Facebook group called "Support for Grayson" and even right-wing pundit Glenn Beck has come to his defence.

In a statement, the school board said: "An initial step was taken to immediately address a situation that had created a disruption in the classroom. Buncombe County Schools takes bullying very seriously, and we will continue to take steps to resolve this issue."