An elementary school principal in Nashville has apologized after a teacher confiscated an AKA shirt that a white student was wearing.
Seven-year-old Peyton Tiger, who is white, went to school at McGavock Elementary wearing a pink and green rhinestoned t-shirt that read "AKA 1908," a reference to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., a historically Black sorority.
"I liked the shirt I was wearing, a lot!" Peyton told NewsChannel 5.
A teacher said she took away the shirt from Peyton because she wasn't a member of the sorority.
"Today, I noticed Peyton wearing an AKA shirt. I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), which is a service organization for college trained and educated women," the teacher wrote in an email to Peyton's mom, Chloe Smith. "AKA branded items are trademarked and reserved for members only. Thus, I had to give her a new shirt and take the AKA shirt. The new shirt she received is clean and there is no need to give it back."
Smith said her daughter wore the shirt because she liked the colors. The mom also noted that the shirt was a hand-me-down from one of her friends.
"It was a child's shirt," Smith said. "For her, it was a pink and green rhinestone shirt that matched her pants."
Smith said the school principal later personally returned the shirt to the student's home and apologized on behalf of the school.
Metro Public Schools addressed the incident in a statement to NewsChannel 5.
"Once informed of the incident, the Principal immediately began an investigation. While the shirt was not in accordance with the school’s dress code due to having writing, the appropriate course of action would have been to refer the matter to the school administration and not take the shirt from the student. There is no policy or dress code specific to sorority-branded clothing," the statement reads.
The school plans to follow the district's employee relations process, counseling the teacher on appropriate conduct in these regards, NewsChannel 5 reports.
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