Now THIS is political correctness run amok.

[MavKikiNYC]

I'll contribute $20 to this site if someone can provide the name and e-mail address of the vice principal who originally attempted to reprimand this guy for his shirt.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 a.m.

Snohomish district lifts suspension over T-shirt

By Lynn Thompson

Justin Patrick appealed after he was suspended from Snohomish High School for wearing a "SNOHOS" T-shirt. He was told the shirt was derogatory to women.

The Snohomish High School student who was suspended for wearing a "SNOHOS" T-shirt to school in February will be allowed to wear the shirt to school after all.

Senior Justin Patrick originally was told his T-shirt was derogatory to women because it contained a slang term for prostitutes. But a school-district official who considered Patrick's appeal ruled the boy won't have to serve a two-day suspension for dress-code violation, sexual harassment and gross insubordination.

Patrick, however, will serve six days of after-school detention for swearing at a vice principal who told him to cover up the T-shirt.

In a statement released by the school district yesterday, Snohomish High Principal Diana Plumis said the T-shirt did not use "Snohos" in a negative context. But it warned that officials would take action if the term "is clearly used to demean or insult."

"I wish he'd kept his cool, but I'm proud of him for standing up for himself," said his father, Barry Patrick, who learned of the school district's decision by letter Monday.

His son said he was pleased the district had lifted his suspension.

"I was just relieved," he said.

Patrick, 17, and several friends said they dubbed themselves the "Snohos" four years ago when they were shooting videos of themselves doing stunts around town.

"We tried Snohomians, but that was too long," said Kyle Butcher, one of the friends.

They had the T-shirts made up two years ago, and since then said they'd worn them regularly to school without incident.
But in February, when Patrick was sent to the office for not having a calculator in math class, Vice Principal Robynn Harrington told him the shirt wasn't appropriate for school. Patrick argued, eventually employing what he called "a few choice words."

After his story was publicized in the media last month, callers to local radio stations asked whether the school planned on banning all occurrences of the letters HO, such as "Gung-ho," "wagons ho" and even "Ho-Hos."

Some Snohomish residents said yesterday that common sense seemed to have won out over political correctness.

"I've seen a lot worse on T-shirts," said Jamie Beer, owner of Snohomish Shirt in Snohomish. After the suspension, she said, one customer asked her if the school was planning to ban cohos, too.

At Snoho Mojo, a local coffee stand that has used the abbreviated version of the town name for years, the owner said students should give school administrators credit for admitting they were wrong.

"They were being sensitive to the women staff and students, but once they took a step back, I think they realized it wasn't that big a deal," said owner Sharon Burlison.

Over spring vacation, but before the final disciplinary decision was made, Patrick and his friends learned that they would be allowed to wear their T-shirts to school. They had 100 shirts printed that say, "Snohos We Won" and now are selling them to friends.

Patrick attended school yesterday wearing his original "SNOHOS" shirt.

Lynn Thompson: 425-745-7807 or lthompson@seattletimes.com

[Evilmav2]

SnoHos? Now if it spelled 'Snow Ho's', I'd think the vice-principal's response might be more understandable...


Snow Ho's

[chumdawg]

Don't you imagine that this particular SNOHO is sitting back and laughing at this all? I'm sorry, but a skateboarding punk who gets himself into so much trouble that his teachers are reduced to sending him to the office for minor reasons, desperate for anyone to help give the kid some discipline (which he obviously isn't getting at home), and who arrogantly goes off on an administrator with a profanity-laced tirade...well, this kid knew exactly what he was doing when he made the t-shirt.

The only political correctness in this story that bothers me is the implication that punks have a red-blooded American right to make asses of themselves and to generally make life more difficult for the people around them.

[MavKikiNYC]

Kid could well be a punk.

But I'm not too impressed either with the dim bulb of a vice principal who would try to suspend the kid over this particular tee-shirt (for the reasons cited) and in so doing would provoke the kid into swearing at him. I'd demote this administrator from any position of authority.

[chumdawg]

You may be right about Robynn (the name is in the article), as I recognize that there are far more "dim bulbs" in public school administration than a reasonable person would expect there to be--and in truth, this may well be part of the problem.

But on balance, the feeling I get from reading this article is that it is at least marginally more likely that the kid provoked the powers that be than it is the other way round.

I will say this, though: whoever did the provoking, I believe it is true that you generally get what you expect.

[EricaLubarsky]

My best femme friends go to Mount Holyoke College and all their college shirts say "MoHos"

[MFFL41]

Political correctness is just way over the top.

[jthig32]

Originally posted by: chumdawg
Don't you imagine that this particular SNOHO is sitting back and laughing at this all? I'm sorry, but a skateboarding punk who gets himself into so much trouble that his teachers are reduced to sending him to the office for minor reasons, desperate for anyone to help give the kid some discipline (which he obviously isn't getting at home), and who arrogantly goes off on an administrator with a profanity-laced tirade...well, this kid knew exactly what he was doing when he made the t-shirt.

The only political correctness in this story that bothers me is the implication that punks have a red-blooded American right to make asses of themselves and to generally make life more difficult for the people around them.

This might be the most sterotype ladened post I've ever seen. How on earth can you pretend to know anything at all about that kid's character or personality? Being a skateboarder makes him a punk? I would have had a hard time containing myself in high school too if someone told me I couldn't wear a shirt that was in NO way offensive and was closer to the name of the damn school than any other term.

I think all of the assumptions in your post are disgusting, especially the one about his situation at home. I hope you don't have kids, and if you do I hope you get the joy of someone else making assumptions about your parenting abilities with no foundation whatsoever on a regular basis.

What an ignorant post.

[mnmpeanut]

But in February, when Patrick was sent to the office for not having a calculator in math class...

and i sit back and think of all the times i got in trouble for having a calculator in math class.

damn, i'm old.