T-shirt Troubles: Administrators work to clarify Board policy on selling shirts

Maggie Devine/Editor-in-Chief
Each year CFHS students attempt to sell T-shirts, and sometimes they are successfully solicited on school grounds without school approval. However, this year, the administration is cracking down on students selling T-shirts at the high school without following written policy.

“In the past, students have created inappropriate T-shirts that send a negative message, and we want them to reflect the school in a positive way. Sometimes students are also making profits off of the shirts, and sometimes students don’t ever receive the T-shirts they pay for. We’re trying to protect our students.” Associate Principal Gary Koenan said.

There are specific rules written down concerning solicitation on school grounds. School board policy states, “No one shall be permitted to solicit any student or teacher, to distribute circulars, handbills, cards or advertisements or take up contributions, except by approval from the superintendent of schools or designee as being in accord with the general philosophy and policies of the Board of Education.”

School policy states that T-shirts must be approved through the administrative office and must be sponsored by a school organization.
“If students do not go through the appropriate channels, they are not going to be able to sell them here.” Koenan said.

Senior Danielle Tanner designed her own T-shirts for the senior class that read “SEN1ORITY” on the front and “Freshman…obey us. Sophomores…hate us. Juniors…want to be us. CFHS Class of 2010.”

“I wanted to make the T-shirts because I felt it was a good way to help unite our senior class. It has really brought people together for a good cause. I also wanted to try to design a shirt that was both funny and school-appropriate for our class so we could have something that we are allowed to wear to school to show our pride in being seniors.” Tanner said.

In the midst of taking orders from a large number of students, the school informed Tanner that distributing T-shirts without school approval was against policy.

“The school told me that I needed to have the T-shirt design approved by the main office and also get it sponsored by a school organization. If I couldn’t get it approved through the school, I was supposed to stop selling them on school grounds.”

Tanner went directly to Koenan to settle the issue and try to continue making her shirts.

“I went into Mr. Koenen’s office and talked to him about the T-shirt design, and we worked it out. Mr. Koenen went out of his way for me by talking to Mrs. Flaherty [Senior Leadership Adviser] to see if Senior Leadership would sponsor our shirts. When senior leadership took a vote, the majority wanted to represent my T-shirt design,” Tanner said.

This homecoming shirt design ws just one of the designs that led ot administrative action.

Class of 2014

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