The BBC reports that a t-shirt worn by a 10 year old student at the Portfield School in Poole was banned from the school because it wasn’t politically correct. The t-shirt that Sam Rodwell wore to school that day had a message that said, “Autism – It’s No Mystery, It’s Mercury”. Sam Rowell is one of the 64 students at the school with Autism and the school specializes in education for Autistic children. School officials feel that the shirt is not politically correct and may cause disruption. The boy wanted to wear the t-shirt outside on the playground but was approached by one of the staff and was made to change. Sam Rowell and his father, David Rowell are very upset about this situation and feel that his son should have been able to wear this specific shirt because Sam has been tested for and found to have mercury toxicity. Sam has worn other t-shirts such as these in the past without a problem and his father also feels that this shows inconsistency in the school’s policies.
The reason for the ban of this t-shirt from the school is because school officials feel that the message may be too sensitive because even though many feel that Autism has been linked to Mercury that is found in vaccines it is still an open debate that may make some feel uncomfortable. The school felt that by allowing the child to continue to wear this shirt, it may bring more attention to the child and cause controversy. If you would like to see the t-shirt worn by Sam Rowell visit the National Autism Association at www.nationalautismassociation.org.
(c) Pavel Jedlicka,www.sxc.hu