#JerseysForHumboldt: Student suspended for violating dress code after refusing to remove soccer jersey
Canadian Press
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Published:
April 13, 2018
Updated:
April 13, 2018 10:05 AM EDT
Philippe Volek, 14, poses in this undated handout photo.HO-Philippe Volek / via THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL — A Quebec high school student who wore a jersey to school to show support for the victims of the crash involving the Humboldt Broncos says he was kicked out of class for his gesture.
Philippe Volek, 14, decided to wear a red and blue soccer shirt to his high school in Ste-Adele, north of Montreal, on Thursday after hearing about a nationwide Jersey Dayevent to honour the 16 people killed in the Saskatchewan crash.
#JerseysForHumboldt
We see you. We hear you. We love you.
We are all #HumboldtStrong.
— Humboldt Broncos (@HumboldtBroncos) April 12, 2018
He said he was motivated to take part because he has a one-hour bus ride to school each day and realizes accidents can happen to anyone.
“If it (were to) happen here, they’d probably do a movement like this and I thought it was important to support the families,” Volek said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press.
But Volek said his teacher sent him to the principal’s office for violating the school’s dress code.
John Rennie High School students wear jersey’s diring class in Montreal, Thursday, April, 12, 2018, in honour of the victims who died in the Humboldt bus crash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
There, he was given a choice: either replace the jersey with a school-approved polo shirt or accept a suspension from class.
Volek chose to go home.
“I wanted to stay loyal to my beliefs and I want to support (Jersey Day),” he said.
“It’s for a good cause and I believe it makes a difference for the families.”
A spokesman for the school board confirmed the suspension, pointing out the jersey had nothing to do with hockey or the Broncos.
Bernard Dufourd said officials at Augustin-Norbert-Morin high school believed the student, who he says has a history of dress code violations, wore the soccer top as a “pretext” to avoid the standard attire.
“If the student had chosen to wear a Broncos sweater, we would have understood his gesture was noble,” he said in a phone interview.
Across the country Thursday, people showed up to work and school decked out in sports jerseys as part of Jersey Day, inspired by a group of British Columbia hockey moms to send a message of support for the families who lost loved ones in the Humboldt crash.
#JerseysForHumboldt: Thousands vow to embrace Jersey Day to honour Humboldt Broncos bus crash victims
Canadians across Canada wear jerseys to support Humboldt Broncos players
Many employers, including the Canadian Forces and Toronto’s transit authority, relaxed their uniform rules to allow their staff to take part.
Dufourd said Volek’s gesture had nevertheless made the school aware that jerseys could be a way of showing solidarity.
He said the school will work with students to find a way to honour the victims of the crash.
#JerseysForHumboldt: Student suspended for violating dress code | Toronto Sun
'Had we known': Quebec school board regrets #JerseysForHumboldt student suspension
Canadian Press
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Published:
April 13, 2018
Updated:
April 13, 2018 5:10 PM EDT
In this file photo, John Rennie High School students wear jersey's diring class in Montreal, Thursday, April, 12, 2018, in honour of the victims who died in the Humboldt bus crash.Graham Hughes / THE CANADIAN PRESS
SAINTE-ADELE, Que. — A Quebec school board is expressing regret over an incident where a student was asked to leave class for wearing a sports jersey in support of the victims of a bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team.
The director of the Commission scolaire des Laurentides says the administration of the high school in Ste-Adele met with students Friday to discuss the tragedy and the various ways of honouring the 16 victims of the Saskatchewan crash.
Fourteen-year-old Philippe Volek told the Canadian Press on Thursday he was sent to the principal’s office for violating the school’s dress code after wearing a soccer jersey to class as part a nationwide Jersey Day event.
Philippe Volek, 14, poses in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Philippe Volek
Volek said he opted to accept what he called a suspension from class for the day rather than remove the jersey.
School board director Bernard Dufourd points out that Volek chose to go home of his own accord instead of working with the school to organize a different tribute to the victims.
Nevertheless, he describes the event as regrettable and says the school would have acted differently had it been aware of Jersey Day.
“Had we known it was an event in all schools, we would have (participated) spontaneously,” Dufourd said in a phone interview Friday.
“In the future (if something similar occurs), we’ll question the student more carefully and inform ourselves in regards to the information he gives us.”
#JerseysForHumboldt: Student suspended for violating dress code after refusing to remove soccer jersey
Canadians across Canada wear jerseys to support Humboldt Broncos players
Across the country Thursday, people showed up to work and school decked out in sports jerseys as part of Jersey Day, inspired by a group of British Columbia hockey moms to send a message of support for the families who lost loved ones in the Saskatchewan crash.
Dufourd says the school is working to organize its own event to commemorate the crash.
‘Had we known’: School regrets #JerseysForHumboldt suspension | Toronto Sun