September 18, 2019 at 01:32AM
The Lake Hamilton School District says it has given a verbal directive against banners at athletic events that mention or reference "political or controversial issues" following the backlash generated by a MAGA-style banner displayed by cheerleaders at Friday's Malvern football game.
The banner, which read "Make America Great Again Trump the Leopards," was criticized for its political overtones by a Democratic state senator on Twitter, and likewise generated numerous comments on social media over the weekend.
"The District was unaware of the sign until it was reported this weekend after the ballgame," the Malvern School District said in a statement released through a spokesman on Monday.
"Lake Hamilton has since posted an explanation of regret involving the run-through sign. The matter has also been turned over to the Arkansas Activities Association per their rules and regulations," the statement said.
"The Lake Hamilton School District believes that all school activities should be conducted in an environment where good sportsmanship and respect are shown," the Lake Hamilton School District said in a statement released Monday.
"The banner displayed at the football game this past Friday was not intended to make a political statement or endorsement. The district has taken steps to ensure that all future banners do not mention or reference political or controversial issues," the statement said.
Lake Hamilton's communications coordinator, Brian Bridges, said in response to a question from the newspaper that it was not a "written policy change," but would be disseminated as a "verbal administrative directive."
State Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, tweeted about a photo of the sign Saturday at 8:17 p.m.
"If this is a public school, this is totally inappropriate. If it's a private school, it's poor judgment. We are all entitled to our politics of choice but not to using public entities to advance our politics," Elliott said, and included a photo of the banner in her post.
Elliott could not be reached for comment by presstime Monday. The post had received nearly 150 likes, over 30 comments and 25 retweets by Monday.
State Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Fort Smith, disagreed, tweeting, "Chill out, it's funny. It's a play on words. God forbid kids use political slogans to make a joke about beating a team in football."
The incident has received media attention from multiple news outlets, as well as several out-of-state outlets.
Local on 09/17/2019Print Headline: Cheerleaders' MAGA-style banner stirs controversy
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.comments powered byThe Lake Hamilton School District says it has given a verbal directive against banners at athletic events that mention or reference "political or controversial issues" following the backlash generated by a MAGA-style banner displayed by cheerleaders at Friday's Malvern football game.
The banner, which read "Make America Great Again Trump the Leopards," was criticized for its political overtones by a Democratic state senator on Twitter, and likewise generated numerous comments on social media over the weekend.
"The District was unaware of the sign until it was reported this weekend after the ballgame," the Malvern School District said in a statement released through a spokesman on Monday.
"Lake Hamilton has since posted an explanation of regret involving the run-through sign. The matter has also been turned over to the Arkansas Activities Association per their rules and regulations," the statement said.
"The Lake Hamilton School District believes that all school activities should be conducted in an environment where good sportsmanship and respect are shown," the Lake Hamilton School District said in a statement released Monday.
"The banner displayed at the football game this past Friday was not intended to make a political statement or endorsement. The district has taken steps to ensure that all future banners do not mention or reference political or controversial issues," the statement said.
Lake Hamilton's communications coordinator, Brian Bridges, said in response to a question from the newspaper that it was not a "written policy change," but would be disseminated as a "verbal administrative directive."
State Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, tweeted about a photo of the sign Saturday at 8:17 p.m.
"If this is a public school, this is totally inappropriate. If it's a private school, it's poor judgment. We are all entitled to our politics of choice but not to using public entities to advance our politics," Elliott said, and included a photo of the banner in her post.
Elliott could not be reached for comment by presstime Monday. The post had received nearly 150 likes, over 30 comments and 25 retweets by Monday.
State Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Fort Smith, disagreed, tweeting, "Chill out, it's funny. It's a play on words. God forbid kids use political slogans to make a joke about beating a team in football."
The incident has received media attention from multiple news outlets, as well as several out-of-state outlets.
Local on 09/17/2019Print Headline: Cheerleaders' MAGA-style banner stirs controversy