OKCPS Reviews Dress Code After Student Asked To Change T-Shirt

Monday, August 20th 2012, 7:11 pm

By: Karl Torp

A local parent is demanding changes to the dress code policy at her son's Elementary school.

Last week, The principal at Wilson Elementary asked 5-year-old Cooper Barton to turn his University of Michigan t-shirt inside-out.

The boy's mother says her son was told he was only allowed to wear an O.U. or O.S.U. shirt to Kindergarten class.

In fact, the dress code for Oklahoma City Public Schools states that only Oklahoma college apparel is allowed. Clothes from all other schools are against current policy.

"They should really worry about academics. It wasn't offensive. He's five," says Cooper's mother Shannon Barton.

Barton says her son had to turn his shirt inside out on the playground behind a tree.

The OKCPS Dress Code policy also says no professional team apparel. That means students are prohibited from wearing Oklahoma City Thunder gear to class.

The district says the dress code was created in 2005 with the help of an Anti-Gang Task Force.

The District also tells News 9, it plans to review it's current dress policy and may make changes due to the recent complaint from Barton.

"When I talked with the Superintendent he absolutely had concerns about it and thinks it might be outdated," says OKCPS Spokeswoman Tierney Tinnin.

Oklahoma City School Superintendent released this statement on Monday:

"This has presented an opportunity to review the current OKCPS District Dress Code Policy that has been in place since 2005. It states that clothing bearing names or emblems of all professional and collegiate athletic teams (with the exception of Oklahoma colleges and universities) are prohibited. In cooperation with the Oklahoma City Police Department Gang Task Force, the policy was approved in 2005 after concerns that nationwide gangs used popular sports clothing to represent individual gangs. As when any policy is questioned; OKCPS administration will review the policy to determine if changes need to be made." –Karl Springer, Superintendent