In yet another example of insensitive, zero-tolerance approaches, school faculty members of Wichita East High in Wichita, Kansas reportedly compelled a special needs student athlete having both Down syndrome and autism to remove a varsity letter his mother bought for him. He was given instead a girl’s sweater to wear.
School officials stated he could not wear the varsity letter because he was not a member of the varsity team. Apparently they were forced to act upon this transgression because “one parent complained” and therefore no exception could be made for this student.
Nineteen year old Michael Kelley participates in extra-curricular basketball. His family bought him a varsity letter similar to what other students at the high school wear as a tribute to honor his athletic achievements.
Michael’s mother, Jolinda Kelley, says her adopted son is one of a kind and loves to play basketball. When Michael was recognized by the school for participating in the special needs team, she bought a varsity letter and sewed it to his jacket. She was shocked to learn he was asked by the school to take off the jacket.
The letter of the law seems to apply strictly to varsity letters.
Wichita East High School Principal Ken Thiessen in an interview with KSN news: “Teachers told the parents they would prefer he not wear the letter on his jacket.”
When asked if the school would consider giving a varsity letter to special needs students he replied:
Principal Ken Thiessen
“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.”
KSN discovered this was not a district-wide policy. The high school seemed to be acting on its own accord.
Jolinda says she understands each school can make the rules, but she wants to see a change.
“It’s not just my son. It’s every student that was out there last night. It’s every student that’s there on Fridays that plays their hardest and to the best of their capability regardless what that is.”
The question remains as to why a varsity letter is such a hallowed emblem that it cannot be tarnished by having someone wearing one who is not a member of the athletic club. Free speech issues aside, how about showing some compassion or at least looking the other way? It is doubtful the majority of students themselves would act with such rigidity to Michael’s choice to wear a letterman jacket.
But if rules must be followed regarding uniforms those with special needs cannot participate in the Police Chief / Sheriff For a Day programs because those kids are not true law enforcement officers.
Now that this has hit the national news media, the administration of Wichita East High School will soon be tempest-tossed by the media storm on the horizon.
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134 thoughts on “Student With Down Syndrome Told By Faculty He Cannot Wear Varsity Letter Jacket”
Gracious. I just want to hug this boy and his family.
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Sally – maybe the girls who wear their boyfriend’s jackets should have a red A attached.
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The ADA requires ‘reasonable’ accommodations. This would not be unreasonable.
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What about the girls who frequently wear the varsity jackets of their boyfriends. They didn’t earn them either–at least not on the football field or basketball court.
If they feel this is really an issue, perhaps they could use a different color letter for the special needs athletes.
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BarkinDog
There were these guys that used to spread poop on the door handle of the worst teachers’ cars. You know going home dreaming about those first few martinis, ewuee. But not me; I had nothing to do with it.
We should have got lettered. Once about twenty of us put the gym teacher’s little NSU three wheel car on the school roof. Yes we were athletic as well as inventive. He had to get a crane to get it down. There was a teacher that used to stand outside the door and listen for specific voices just before class, whip open the door and nail a half dozen for detention. We took the pins out of the hinges once and after a week recuperating, he came back and never did that again.
Today, we would all be doing time.
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Wichita Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, age or disability. Persons having inquiries may contact the school district’s ADA and Section 504 coordinator for adults (316-973-4420) or Section 504 coordinator for students (316-973-4702), 201 N. Water, Wichita KS 67202.
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Here is the mailing address and phone number for the Principal. The dogpack is working up a box of treats for the schmuck. If he gets some anonymous mailing of dog poop it was not from us. No, it was from someone on the blog here. Not me.
2301 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67211
(316) 973-7200
If we lived in Wichita we would do the poop in the bag trick. You place a large amount of poop in a shopping bag. Sprinkle it with lighter fluid, Place it on the front step when you know the dumbschmuck is in there watching Sid Caesar re runs, and light the bag, then ring the door bell. He comes out, stomps on the bag and gets poop all over himself and on the porch. I learned this in Ferguson in a prior life. Several Principals got this treatment back in the old days. One had the first name Merlin. What a dork! Tomorrow I will tell you about rat stomping.
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Note, it’s the adults running the school that are the problem…
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I can only imagine what the childremlfthe parent who complained are like. What a…….
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Heartless, stupid, unworthy, etc are not strong enough words. This Ken Theissen idiot should be made grounds keeper at best. It is one thing to be such a worthless parent to complain but supporting that position multiplies the offense exponentially. This is the same parent that gets thrown out of sporting events after embarrassing the kids.
This sort of position by the parent and the principal make the whole varsity thing worthless, quite the opposite of the effect the subhuman parent intended. Jeez.
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Can someone provide the email address for that Principal? Also a U.S. Mail address. The dogpack would like to mail him something.
We can judge the students and the town by what happens next. If the students all show up wearing fake Letters on their sweaters in the next few days and refuse to take them off then we have some real humans being grown out there in Kansas. If they fail to stand up for their fellow student then we can rightfully characterize the whole town as a pirate territory and fly over and flush.
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The adults in this story are heartless. Just wait until they have someone with special needs in their own families.
I would like to thank the other commenters for their support of this young man and others like him, and I hope that the principal and the spiteful parent are embarrassed and ashamed now that this story has gone viral.
What is the harm in allowing a student with disadvantages to feel good about himself?
Athletes who don’t know the proper rules of English grammar are given high school diplomas all the time. Many of them attend and graduate from college, and they still can’t put a decent sentence together. You’ve seen and heard them on television.
Are they really entitled to those diplomas?
If the high school student body were allowed to vote on this issue, my guess is that they would have enormous compassion for Michael and encourage him to wear his letter sweater.
Thanks again, commenters, for your compassion. I would encourage anyone to spend a month, a week, a day, even an hour in the parents’ shoes before judging them on the ways they try to help and encourage their loved ones with special needs.
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Question: Did any of the actual varsity players object to this kid’s jacket? If not, let him wear it and screw the parent who objects…they are not varsity players either.
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Wow. The parent who complained must be a real loser and Principal Thiessen needs to grow a spine.
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Rules/laws need to be tempered by both compassion and wisdom.
We agree to be a society governed by rules – we do not agree to be tyranized by those same rules.
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Yeah, that was mean spirited. Poor little kid.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
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There’s nothing heroic about being born with a strong athletic body or the potential for that. If we are going to honor someone, we need to honor those who deal with exceptional challenges that the rest of us have not faced.
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They should be able to make exceptions, and a Special Needs Child
such as Michael, should be allowed to wear the Letter.
I think they are being rather needlessly cruel.
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Oh, that’s so sad. This is not the lesson of compassion for special needs kids we want displayed to the other students. It is NOT the same as a student pretending to be on a varsity team. This is about encouraging a special needs boy.
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What a lovely parental example….
Filing a complaint against a Special Needs Child wearing a Letter.
“It’s not just my son. It’s every student that was out there last night. It’s every student that’s there on Fridays that plays their hardest and to the best of their capability regardless what that is.”
Gracious. I just want to hug this boy and his family.
Sally – maybe the girls who wear their boyfriend’s jackets should have a red A attached.
The ADA requires ‘reasonable’ accommodations. This would not be unreasonable.
What about the girls who frequently wear the varsity jackets of their boyfriends. They didn’t earn them either–at least not on the football field or basketball court.
If they feel this is really an issue, perhaps they could use a different color letter for the special needs athletes.
BarkinDog
There were these guys that used to spread poop on the door handle of the worst teachers’ cars. You know going home dreaming about those first few martinis, ewuee. But not me; I had nothing to do with it.
We should have got lettered. Once about twenty of us put the gym teacher’s little NSU three wheel car on the school roof. Yes we were athletic as well as inventive. He had to get a crane to get it down. There was a teacher that used to stand outside the door and listen for specific voices just before class, whip open the door and nail a half dozen for detention. We took the pins out of the hinges once and after a week recuperating, he came back and never did that again.
Today, we would all be doing time.
Wichita Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, age or disability. Persons having inquiries may contact the school district’s ADA and Section 504 coordinator for adults (316-973-4420) or Section 504 coordinator for students (316-973-4702), 201 N. Water, Wichita KS 67202.
Here is the mailing address and phone number for the Principal. The dogpack is working up a box of treats for the schmuck. If he gets some anonymous mailing of dog poop it was not from us. No, it was from someone on the blog here. Not me.
2301 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67211
(316) 973-7200
If we lived in Wichita we would do the poop in the bag trick. You place a large amount of poop in a shopping bag. Sprinkle it with lighter fluid, Place it on the front step when you know the dumbschmuck is in there watching Sid Caesar re runs, and light the bag, then ring the door bell. He comes out, stomps on the bag and gets poop all over himself and on the porch. I learned this in Ferguson in a prior life. Several Principals got this treatment back in the old days. One had the first name Merlin. What a dork! Tomorrow I will tell you about rat stomping.
Note, it’s the adults running the school that are the problem…
I can only imagine what the childremlfthe parent who complained are like. What a…….
Heartless, stupid, unworthy, etc are not strong enough words. This Ken Theissen idiot should be made grounds keeper at best. It is one thing to be such a worthless parent to complain but supporting that position multiplies the offense exponentially. This is the same parent that gets thrown out of sporting events after embarrassing the kids.
This sort of position by the parent and the principal make the whole varsity thing worthless, quite the opposite of the effect the subhuman parent intended. Jeez.
Can someone provide the email address for that Principal? Also a U.S. Mail address. The dogpack would like to mail him something.
We can judge the students and the town by what happens next. If the students all show up wearing fake Letters on their sweaters in the next few days and refuse to take them off then we have some real humans being grown out there in Kansas. If they fail to stand up for their fellow student then we can rightfully characterize the whole town as a pirate territory and fly over and flush.
The adults in this story are heartless. Just wait until they have someone with special needs in their own families.
I would like to thank the other commenters for their support of this young man and others like him, and I hope that the principal and the spiteful parent are embarrassed and ashamed now that this story has gone viral.
What is the harm in allowing a student with disadvantages to feel good about himself?
Athletes who don’t know the proper rules of English grammar are given high school diplomas all the time. Many of them attend and graduate from college, and they still can’t put a decent sentence together. You’ve seen and heard them on television.
Are they really entitled to those diplomas?
If the high school student body were allowed to vote on this issue, my guess is that they would have enormous compassion for Michael and encourage him to wear his letter sweater.
Thanks again, commenters, for your compassion. I would encourage anyone to spend a month, a week, a day, even an hour in the parents’ shoes before judging them on the ways they try to help and encourage their loved ones with special needs.
Question: Did any of the actual varsity players object to this kid’s jacket? If not, let him wear it and screw the parent who objects…they are not varsity players either.
Wow. The parent who complained must be a real loser and Principal Thiessen needs to grow a spine.
Rules/laws need to be tempered by both compassion and wisdom.
We agree to be a society governed by rules – we do not agree to be tyranized by those same rules.
Yeah, that was mean spirited. Poor little kid.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
There’s nothing heroic about being born with a strong athletic body or the potential for that. If we are going to honor someone, we need to honor those who deal with exceptional challenges that the rest of us have not faced.
They should be able to make exceptions, and a Special Needs Child
such as Michael, should be allowed to wear the Letter.
I think they are being rather needlessly cruel.
Oh, that’s so sad. This is not the lesson of compassion for special needs kids we want displayed to the other students. It is NOT the same as a student pretending to be on a varsity team. This is about encouraging a special needs boy.
What a lovely parental example….
Filing a complaint against a Special Needs Child wearing a Letter.
That parent is heartless….