Monroe County students asked to change out of Trump-Vance T-shirts or go home — superintendent responds
MONROE COUNTY, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Monroe County Public Schools' superintendent has responded to rumors that students were sent home earlier this week for wearing T-shirts supporting Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
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News 5 heard from local families that some students at Excel High School were sent home for wearing T-shirts expressing support for Trump and his running mate, now Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
But that's not exactly what happened, according to MCPS Superintendent Greg Shehan.
Shehan said "a handful of students" were asked to change their T-shirts or be sent home — a process parents call "dress coded" — but the school principal stepped in and told them an administrator had misspoken.
No one was sent home, Shehan said.
He said the incident was caused by a "misunderstanding," and students are allowed to wear politically themed T-shirts to school on election day and this entire school week.
It is unclear if the school system will take any action after the incident.
In the meantime, one student made a TikTok video about the incident .
The student, who can be seen talking to the camera and wearing a Trump-Vance shirt, said, "I wanted to apologize to anyone that I offended today with the clothing that I chose for my political views and opinions on our county.
"I'm sorry that I am a free citizen of a free country with freedom of speech, and I hope you can forgive me."
In the video, the student wears a black T-shirt that says, "Trump-Vance 24" and, underneath that text, "Make America Great Again."
Pointing to the shirt, the student said, "...these, obviously, are some of the most offensive things anybody could wear, and I'm so sorry that we did that."
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She said she is upset that "somebody, under five people, got offended at more than one child's personal views on the country."
This is a developing story. News 5 will update this as more information becomes available.
