Two high school students in California were reprimanded Friday for wearing T-shirts from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The mother of one of the students say her 15-year-old daughter and a classmate were both scolded by a history teacher at the Lodi Unified School District for their attire.
Speaking with CBS Sacramento, the mother, Charlene Craig, says her child was singled out and lectured for supporting the civil rights organization.
“She was basically being attacked in class,” Craig said.
After reportedly telling the students that “guns kill people,” Craig says the teacher went on to threaten the students with punishment if they disagreed.
“He basically yelled at her, telling her that she would be writing an essay if she disagreed with him,” Craig said.
The second student was eventually sent to the principal’s office for refusing to remove the shirt.
Craig criticized the teacher for pushing his personal views on the two students.
“I think he’s there to teach,” said Craig. “I don’t think he’s there to discuss his personal beliefs.”
The mother also added that her daughter has grown up using firearms responsibly in a large family of hunters and farmers.
“That’s what she is, that’s what she does,” said Craig.
A review of the school’s dress code indicates the 15-year-old’s shirt was not in violation.
A statement from the Lodi Unified School District similarly clarified that the shirt “did not violate school dress code policy.”
The school district says it plans to update its staff on dress code policies to help avoid a repeat incident.
“I am going to continue to send my daughter to school in it,” Craig added. “I don’t see that there’s a problem.”
The NRA tweeted out the story Tuesday, saying “YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK” to its nearly 700,000 followers.
YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: Two #California teenagers were harassed by their anti-#gun history teacher last week. How would you handle the situation if this were your child’s school? #NRA #2A #DefendtheSecond https://t.co/6YE6MCFZuF
— NRA (@NRA) August 7, 2018
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