ORANGEVALE (CBS13) — A young girl was told by her school that she couldn’t wear a T-shirt to pay tribute to the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001.

School leaders say they have a good reason for banning the sixth-grader’s Sept. 11 memorial T-shirt on Thursday. When her stepfather tried to get permission, school administrators say it violated their dress code.

“Wear it to honor what had happened on 9/11 and all the people that have perished and the lives that were changed on that day,” said Tim Foster.

It’s a shirt the Foster family wears every year on Sept. 11. It shows the names of those who list their lives that day in the shape of the World Trade Center towers on the front of the shirt.

But his stepdaughter wasn’t allowed to wear it on the 13th anniversary of the attacks. Administrators told him she had to wear her uniform—a T-shirt that has the school’s logo and name.

Foster has been a part of the military for nearly 25 years and service two tours in Iraq. He says he understands the school’s policy, but was hoping administrators would understand the significance of the day for his family.

“Maybe it meets dress code and be able to add something to it on a special day like this,” he said.

District spokesman Trent Allen says students are only allowed to wear clothing outside of the uniform on free dress days, and Sept. 11 isn’t one of those days.

“Unfortunately that kind of shirt would not fit in that dress code policy,” he said.

He says not allowing the shirt has nothing to do with the day, and they certainly understand the significance.

“It’s very much an important part of the academic process, but need to enforce dress code policy,” he said. “If you start making exceptions it is hard to draw the line.”

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