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Special Needs Student Told To Remove His Varsity Letter

Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:38 am
Posted by Green Chili Tiger
Lurking the Tin Foil Hat Board
Member since Jul 2009
47968 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:38 am


quote:

The student, Michael Kelley, has Down’s Syndrome and autism. Kelley is not a varsity athlete but participates in extra-curricular special needs basketball.

His family bought him a varsity letter like the other kids wear, but recently, his mother says he was asked to not wear the jacket.

Turns out, the letter is an official Wichita East High School varsity letter, and East High says he is not supposed to have that letter.

KSN talked to his mother Jolinda Kelley. She says Michael, her adopted son, is one of a kind and loves to play basketball.

When he was recognized for participating, Jolinda bought a varsity letter and put that letter on the jacket.


quote:

KSN also asked Thiessen if the school would consider giving a varsity letter to special needs kids.

“We have considered it, and our decision was no. We decided that is not appropriate in our situation because it is not a varsity level competition.”

Thiessen says his building decided varsity letters would be for varsity letter winners only. KSN found out that there is no district-wide policy in Wichita.

The family turned to J. Means, USD 259’s Athletic Director. He told the family that when he was the athletic director at Northwest High their policy was to allow special needs students to earn letters, just like other athletes.

KSN reached out to school board members to ask if they would consider making a district-wide policy.


LINK

I feel for the mom and the kid, but you shouldn't be able to just buy a varsity letter, even if your kid is "one of a kind and loves to play basketball".

The school's not wrong for making him remove the letter, the mom is wrong for buying him one.
Posted by Placebeaux
Bobby Fischer Fan Club President
Member since Jun 2008
51852 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:40 am to
WOW what dicks
Posted by LSUAlum2001
Stavro Mueller Beta
Member since Aug 2003
47192 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:40 am to
...just because you are on the team doesn't mean you get a varsity letter for the sport you are playing.

Special needs or not.
Posted by PTBob
Member since Nov 2010
7074 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:41 am to
i typically don't do this but here goes


you sir, are an idiot.
Posted by DelU249
Austria
Member since Dec 2010
77625 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:41 am to
What kind of a piece of shite even bothers to be irked about this much less write a letter?

frick that guy whoever he is
Posted by GFunk
Denham Springs
Member since Feb 2011
14967 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:41 am to
I see both sides. The mother should have called the school first instead of acting unilaterally and shoving something down people's throats.

Why didn't she pursue some guidance on this on the front end before doing all this work on the back end to force people to get her way?

Bad parenting truth be told. Which sucks because the kid needs great parenting. Just my $0.02.
Posted by touchdownjeebus
Member since Sep 2010
24849 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:43 am to
Let the kid keep the letter...
Posted by NYNolaguy1
Member since May 2011
20983 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:43 am to
If the team had any balls they would give their letters back to the school.
Posted by DonChowder
Sonoma County
Member since Dec 2012
9249 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:44 am to
Dickheads.
Posted by Hermit Crab
Under the Sea
Member since Nov 2008
7192 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:45 am to
who gives a shite if a kid wears a jacket with a letter?
Posted by Tigerfan56
Member since May 2010
10521 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:45 am to
lol at people in here acting like "the letter must be earned". It's a fricking HS varsity letter, not some prestigious rhodes-scholarship type honor.

If it makes the kid happy to wear it, then so be it, let him have his moment.

The people against something like this are probably the peaked in HS guys who still talk about their high school sport playing days.
Posted by StarkRebel
Member since Sep 2014
2175 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:47 am to
Who give a frick. Give the kid the varsity letter, he will remember long past anyone else that will stick the jacket in the closet long after high school. What kind of smarmy frick polices this sort of thing. Oh hey I'm sorry you're retarded but you still can't have this varsity letter that no one even cares about.
Posted by Phil A Sheo
equinsu ocha
Member since Aug 2011
12166 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:48 am to
This shite is rich...I mean with this day and age with everyone screaming for equality ...

But hey the kids white..Who gives a flying frick right??

Now if this were black...I'm sure most can draw their own conclusion
This post was edited on 3/27/15 at 9:50 am
Posted by william45
Loving Life In Sportsman's Paradise
Member since Jan 2015
185 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:49 am to
the mom cant ask for him to be treated normal and then give him special treatment and lose her shite when gets treated "normal"
Posted by shiftworker
LP
Member since Dec 2011
5104 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:51 am to
Weak troll is weak, or........























You are one huge douchebag.
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
71702 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:52 am to
I can see both sides of the argument. He was involved with a sports team, and obviously can't "earn" a varsity letter.

That being said, there are obvious extended circumstances here, and I know if special needs kids were involved with sports they would earn a letter.

The mom is being an entitled tPOS though, just assuming she can iron one on her kid's jacket without asking anyone.
Posted by tidalmouse
Whatsamotta U.
Member since Jan 2009
30706 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:55 am to


Posted by LSUTiger205
Ocean Springs, MS
Member since Aug 2006
10820 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 9:57 am to
Like a varisty letter actually means anything. Who gives a shite, let the kid wear it.
Posted by lsu2006
BR
Member since Feb 2004
39994 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 10:02 am to
Typical of this me-first, entitlement, "everybody gets a trophy", PC Police society we've seen since HUSSEIN came into power.

Makes me want to !!! My g-pa is rolling over in his grave.
Posted by Giantkiller
the internet.
Member since Sep 2007
20684 posts
Posted on 3/27/15 at 10:03 am to
Who. fricking. Cares?

Anybody who gets mad about this is an a-hole. IF the kid gives his letter back, he should do it at a press conference, reading an essay called "Here's Why You're All Dickheads".

Seriously. All the problems in the world and this bothers people?
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