Arizona school district apologizes for banning student's 'Black Lives Matter' shirt

An Arizona high school student was told that she couldn't wear a Black Lives Matter T-shirt because it was "disruptive," The Washington Post reports. Mariah Havard, 15, was sent to the principal's office and given a blank white T-shirt to wear instead. "A white T-shirt that's meaningless has nothing to do with what I'm standing for," Havard said. Buckeye Union High School officials said her shirt posed "a potential danger to students."

Havard claims she was the target of incendiary comments from white students while wearing the shirt, including "that shirt is meaningless" and "black lives don't matter."

In response to the ordeal, several students walked out of classes Monday morning and protested outside the school with help from local civil rights organizations, a USA Today affiliate reports. The district's superintendent later issued an apology letter to Havard: "I want to apologize for any embarrassment or uncomfortableness regarding the district's attempted enforcement of the school dress code policy," he wrote. "Sometimes there are important messages, such as 'Black Lives Matter,' that represent both emotional and complicated issues that, without proper understanding and context, create misunderstanding, division and disruption."

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He called the incident a "unifying moment" for the school and promised to review the dress code, and he even asked Havard to help the staff develop programs to address the school's race-related issues. Havard, for her part, seemed pleased with the response.