9-year-old banned from 'Making America Great Again'

Monday, June 6, 2016
9-year-old banned from 'Making America Great Again'
One local Trump supporter is being banned from wearing a signature Donald Trump hat to school after it began to draw tense conversations.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- UPDATE



One local Trump supporter is being banned from wearing a signature Donald Trump hat to school after it began to draw tense conversations.



Logan Autry left Powers-Ginsburg Elementary School early on Thursday because school leaders said something he was wearing is causing a safety concern on campus-- his red hat.



"The vice principal came up to me and told me to take my hat off because it brings negative attention from other students. And I said no a few times and then the principal told me again and I still said no and refused," said Logan Autry.



For three days straight the third grader wore the hat to class. But each day, more and more classmates began confronting him at recess.



"I still want to keep my hat. It's not the hat that draws attention, it's just my personality that the other children do not like," said Autry.



Autry recently moved to Fresno from the foothills, he loves politics and American history.



"He knows more than I do. He knows more about this election than I know, it's kind of embarrassing. You know, like are you smarter than a third grader kinda thing. But he is just very adamant about his beliefs and his rights. He wants to be a politician that's his goal," said Angela Hoffknecht, Logan's guardian.



He already has the shirt and tie down, and practices speeches about Trump on the playground.



"I've told them his policies on illegal immigration, and our second amendment, and our first amendment and all of our amendments that need to be protected which are not going to be an amendment at all if Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders gets elected," said Autry.



Autry got his $20-- now, controversial-- hat when he skipped school to attend a Trump rally last week.



"He doesn't speak like a politician. He speaks like a normal person. He knows what this country needs."



Autry briefly met the presidential hopeful during his local stop and even got his hat autographed.



"I got to shake his hand and I felt his hair too, and it's actually real. On the TV it looks not real, but it like, has a blur but when you see it in real life it looks a lot different."



From the mouth of a nine-year-old who won't back down from upper graders, or district officials, who say they are out to protect him and everyone else on school grounds.



With school almost out Logan's family members are trying to offer him alternative hats to wear, such as one with an American flag. But, so far he has not been willing to swap out his red one.



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On Monday, June 6, 2016, Fresno Unified issued the following statement:



Statement from Superintendent Michael Hanson Regarding Powers-Ginsburg Elementary School



"Our job as educators is to facilitate a safe learning environment where we encourage robust conversations of diverse ideas and thoughts. We are proud that in this case our school achieved that goal by allowing the student to wear his hat for several days and engage in conversations with classmates.



"It is also our responsibility to take precautions when the discourse begins to impact our school climate and interrupt school operations.



"The student was asked to temporarily remove his hat only after there was an incident of substantial disruption. However, to be clear, school officials never imposed an outright ban. The student was not banned from school and was never banned from wearing the hat. School officials reached out multiple times to the guardians to inform them that the student could continue to wear the hat as long there were no further incidents of disruption. However, the guardians have not responded."

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