A 13-year-old Kansas boy was suspended for bringing a purse to school on Wednesday. His mother is now claiming that he was discriminated against.
Leslie Willis, the mother of 13-year-old Skyler Davis doesn't think it is right that her son was suspended for bringing a purse as girls do not get punished for doing the same, KCTV reports.
"I don't think everyone should be treated differently," Skyler Davis told KCTV "Everyone should have the same privileges."
Anderson County School District Superintendent Don Blome claims that all students, both male and female, are not allowed to have bags, purses, satchels and backpacks in the core classrooms like English and math. He says the bags are supposed to be stored in lockers during class.
"We strive to make sure we treat every kid alike and there are classroom rules we expect kids to follow," Blome told KCTV5. "They can bring (bags and purses) to school. There's no policy against that. But the classroom rules are that they can't bring it to the classroom."
Skyler, a student at Anderson County Senior-Junior School, had been carrying around his colorful Vera Bradley bag for a while without anyone saying anything.
"It expresses myself and I think everyone else can wear it, so I wear it as well," Davis told KCTV5.
However he was asked to report to Assistant Principal Don Hillard's office when he wouldn't take the bag off. "I went to the office and I refused to take it off, and they suspended me," Davis said.
School staff called Davis' mother to pick up her son. "I was a little furious, and I called the school [and spoke to Hillard] to reverify the story, and yeah, he refused to take off his Vera Bradley bag, nothing more to it," Willis said.
Willis said she looked through the student handbook but couldn't find any rules about bags or purses and is now questioning the suspension and the strange timing.
"Skyler has been going to school since August with that same Vera Bradley bag on, hasn't taken it off. What is the problem?" she asked.
Willis believes the rule should be listed in the handbook so there is no confusion. Meanwhile she supports her son's decision to carry a Vera Bradley bag or any other bag without being punished for it.
Davis returned to school on Thursday with his bag and the staff seemed to change their story.
"He was pulled into an office, behind closed doors to tell him that he was never suspended for refusing to take off his purse, he got suspended for foul language," Willis said. "That's not the story that Mr. Hillard told me yesterday. Skyler is only 13 years old. He's just a child. And if this isn't bullying, I don't know what is."
The family has received support from others around the country. However Blome stands by the claim that this wasn't a discrimination issue. He says the bag rule has been in place since before he became superintendent six years ago.
"That's been a long-standing rule," he said. He said that any student would be suspende dif they were sent to the office and refused to listen. Willis thinks the school is punishing her son for speaking out.
"Skyler can speak freely about what's bothering him. I have taught him this. Now the school is upset because he spoke out," she told KCTV.
Willis said Davis was told that his suspension won't be lifted until he stops wearing the purse but he doesn't want to comply. However the protest can't last forever. "We're going to have to find some compromise in this," Willis said.
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