8th Grade Male Student Suspended For Not Taking Off Purse

[The Straight Story]

A 13-year-old Kansas eighth-grader says he was suspended from school on Wednesday because he refused to take off his Vera Bradley purse.

His furious mother says it is discrimination because girls are allowed to have purses with no repercussions.

"I don't think everyone should be treated differently," Skylar Davis said. "Everyone should have the same privileges."

Anderson County School District officials did not respond to KCTV5's repeated efforts to get a comment.

Skylar is a student at Anderson County Senior-Junior School. He said he has been carrying the colorful fabric Vera Bradley bag over his shoulder for some time with no issues.

http://news.awfbase.com/content/8th-grade-male-student-suspended-not-taking-purse

[RKP5637]

1. Kansas again. It looks good. Many men wear the same, many, except it's black leather. I used

to carry a travel bag like that when traveling all over by air, except it was black fabric. Guess that's OK. Went to many meetings with very manly men, they often had similar, but not as colorful as his. Kansas stupid school again. A great place to be from as in gone!

[snooper2]

3. I could never figure out which state sucked worse Kansas or Missouri...

I grew up in Missery so I guess I'm biased



As a general rule of thumb, it's best to live in a border state. Either West or East Coast, or along our Northern or Southern borders. You move into the interior the economy gets shittier along with everything else.

[RKP5637]

8. It really does ... when I lived there crap like this seemed to go on endlessly, it's like

they never let up, just all sorts of discriminatory and persecutory crap against whomever. And look at whom they vote into office ... for example, Brownback in KS. No wonder there is a brain drain to the coasts.

[HappyMe]

2. That's bullshit discrimination.

Let the kid carry his bag, or tell the girls that they can't.

[MineralMan]

4. Uff da! Kansas seems to be the home for many stories

similar to this one. Had this boy been carrying a briefcase or an attache case, nobody would have noticed at all. And they should not have noticed his carrying of this bag, either. It's another example of gender-related discrimination that should have disappeared long, long ago. Will Kansas wake up eventually? I hope so.

[RKP5637]

9. Kansas wake up, I doubt it. The best policy for Kansas is to get the hell out if one can. n/t

[MineralMan]

10. That would be my call, certainly.

I would never consider Kansas as a place to live, frankly. There's nothing there that might entice me to live there, and plenty to send me towards the nearest border.

I know that some DUers live there, but I couldn't.

[RKP5637]

21. ... back on the coast now in my native territory. KS just plain sucked. Sometimes I

think many don't realize the huge geographical differences in the US. No offense to anyone, but I sure did not 'till I tried to live in KS ... then went back to the east coast.

[MissMillie]

5. It's a great bag

Maybe Principal Hillard is jealous that he doesn't have one--or he wants to steal it.

[hlthe2b]

6. If only they spent as much time actually "teaching" as looking for ridiculous issues...

[Agnosticsherbet]

7. Growing up in Oklahoma, I always envied girls because they had these bags they could put their stuff

in. This was in the 60's, long before backpacks were used for anything but boy scout hikes. We had book bags, but that wasn't the same thing.

A purse was a symbol that a guy wasn't a guy. In third grade one bully's favorite insult was, "Ya gonna hit me with your purse?"

I am somewhat amazed that Kansas remains stuck in the 60's.

Let the kid carry a purse. It is dead useful.

[Eleanors38]

16. Yeah, and all guys got were medical-looking fanny packs.

[Agnosticsherbet]

39. Picked up my first fanny pack in India around 1982

Never saw them as a kid in the 60's.

It is sad that we associate accessories with Gender. Growing up, nobody called the Bagpipe fire brigade names when they wore their skirts. Of course, they called them kilts. But I remember how everybody thought they looked cool. I remember at one parade hearing an aunt wish the wind would blow their kilts up. I must have been 8 and didn't know what she meant until years later.

[garnett]

11. I go to ACJSHS

I go to this school and this kid is a brat. He's suspended every two weeks. Hilliard is usually a good guy, I'm sure Skylar had done a little more than just not take off his bag. He's notorious for cussing at teachers and throwing fits...

[jberryhill]

14. It sounds like he's 13 years old...

You probably hear this from a lot of old farts like me, but there is no shortage of things that one grows out of eventually.

[Raine1967]

15. Are you saying that his mother is lying?

I personally am not concerned with his reputation -- if someone wants to wear a bag like this, then let it be so.

Welcome to DU.

[garnett]

24. Skylar lies constantly...

He was yelling at Hilliard and he had gotten in trouble for swinging his bag at some girl, not for wearing it. Hilliard shouldn't have suspended him (it was for a day btw, he's at school today) but the story isn't exactly right here. Hilliard is a friendly guy unless you do something to upset him.

[Raine1967]

26. Perhaps you should call the local media.

If what you say is true, call them. Until then, the story as reported in your local news stands:

"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 do it," Willis said.

She said she reviewed the student handbook but did not see a mention to bags or purses. She questions the suspension and the timing.

"Skylar 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.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/article/343443/58/Boy-suspended-for-wearing-purse-in-school

What you are saying directly contradicts his mother and reports from the School.

Once again, welcome to DU.

[garnett]

38. no

I'd rather not get on his bad side, he's a scary little guy. Just wanted to let everyone know he isn't a victim, and his mother isn't exactly trustworthy either. That whole family is bad news.

[Raine1967]

42. So you come to DU?

Ms. garnett --

you are aware that everyone can read things here, right? Go back to class, study --

Stop spending time on a message board while you are in school. Don't sit there and tell us all that you are doing research when it appears you are doing nothing more than trying to smear a young man that wants to wear his bag to school.

If you really cared about the other side of the story -- I think you would indeed contact the local media -- or perhaps, your school administration. At this point you are just dismissing a mother and her son. If you have something to say, say it to people who can effect change.

With all respect, I was born, but it wasn't yesterday.

[garnett]

45. ok

He didn't get suspended for that. Since the junior high isnt allowed to have bags and He is a junior high kid when they asked him to take it off he dropped multiple F Bombs and he already had a lot of points. So, after his rampage he got all of his points and got suspended.

theres the real story, and i'll spend my classtime how i please.

[Raine1967]

47. You are aware his Mom showed the local news the dress code manual, right?

She read it right there on your local news.

I saw it.

Now you are starting to look a little disingenuous. I don't know why you are posting this on DU. You are starting to look like you have personal issues with the person at the center of a story that is now in national news.

Once again, I strongly suggest that if you have issues with how this was reported -- you, or your parents -- if you are in the same school with this young man, contact the media.

Until then, kids should be allowed to carry whatever handbags they want. You have a personal agenda here.

I'm trying to be very nice here, garnett. I am assuming you are a young person about his age. If you are brave enough to come to DU to write these these things -- be brave enough to take it to a place where it matters. Maybe your school council? you have a strange fascination with this here on DU. It's Strange that you would just sign up here today to tell the world that know this young man and want us all to believe he's basically an asshole who deserved this.

Surely you can see that. If you think he was treated with justice, DU might not be your best platform.

[Trillo]

48. And there you have it. "That whole family is bad news."

Bad kids and Bad families versus Good kids and Good families.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School-to-prison_pipeline

Another facet of the school-to-prison pipeline involves overlapping patterns of institutional structure. These include disciplinary and bureaucratic practices for storing human beings in buildings, as well as institutional culture that degrades the people affected. A simple but widespread example of this culture is the division of students into "good kids" and "bad kids," which paves the way for the promotion of some and the abandonment of others (often resulting in identification with 'badness').[7]

Michel Foucault, in his 1975 Discipline and Punish, suggested that different institutions had gradually become an extension of the prisons, resulting in a "carceral system" that now regulates much of society.

[Brickbat]

17. Shouldn't you be in class, young man?

[garnett]

25. young lady*

I am in class, researching this story.

[DreamGypsy]

30. Welcome to DU, garnett.

Keep up the attitude.

[Fumesucker]

37. Welcome to DU, garnett!

[jberryhill]

41. We'll be the judges of that. Do you have a purse?

[Raine1967]

28. Good catch, Brickbat!

is important!

[HappyMe]

20. Sure.

[gopiscrap]

22. welcome to DU

[RKP5637]

34. Damage control team? n/t

[HappyMe]

35. Hmm.....

[KurtNYC]

12. So the guy who suspended him is...wait for it....

the football coach.

http://www.maxpreps.com/high-schools/anderson-county-bulldogs-%28garnett,ks%29/football/previous_seasons.htm

And they are 0 - 9 so gotta take it out on somebody, right?

[jberryhill]

13. And that was after being arrested in Macy's for buying it!

Is it purse month or what?

[Eleanors38]

18. Yes, don't moralists purse their lips while in the act?

[jberryhill]

19. It's the sow's ears which give them away

[Mosby]

23. Weird website.

[Raine1967]

27. There are credible reports to this story:

http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/article/343443/58/Boy-suspended-for-wearing-purse-in-school

this link has video: http://www.wtsp.com/news/watercooler/article/343443/58/Boy-suspended-for-wearing-purse-in-school

[RKP5637]

36. Also being reported by KCTV5 news, a major station in Kansas City area.

http://www.kctv5.com/

[Katashi_itto]

29. I use a leather satchel. Best thing I got. Carries everything

I can see why women have purses.

[Initech]

31. It's not a purse, it's a satchel!

[Blue Owl]

32. Perhaps he has spawned the young man-purse trend...

Let's see if it catches on!

[PoliticAverse]

33. It's not a purse, it's european!!...

http://seinfeld.wikia.com/wiki/European_Carryall

[KamaAina]

40. It's a European carryall!

[dionysus]

43. would the bigots have acted differently had it been an indiana jones style satchel?

[TeeYiYi]

44. Those idiots would have hated the 60s.

That's not a purse, it's a satchel. A book bag.

TYY

[zappaman]

46. It's a satchel!