A New Jersey teen is a Donald Trump fan and had worn a navy blue Donald Trump t-shirt on picture day at his high school. However, on receiving his copy of the yearbook, he found his image had been Photoshopped to remove the Trump slogan, “Make America Great Again” which should have been emblazoned across his chest.
No dress code for juniors at New Jersey teen’s school
17-year-old Grant Berardo is a junior at Wall Township High School and he told NJ.com that juniors didn’t have a dress code on picture day. While he said the senior boys had to wear black jackets and ties, juniors could wear what they wanted.
The teen believes his yearbook photo had been Photoshopped and was very disappointed over the issue as he showed the yearbook to his parents.
Berardo had seen the proof of his image before it was published in the yearbook and it was exactly as it should be, showing his Trump T-shirt. The teen also reportedly uses the same image on the school’s electronic student ID system with no problem and with the T-shirt intact. This made him even more shocked to see the slogan missing from the actual yearbook.
Speaking to the Asbury Park Press, Berardo said he likes Trump, but that the T-shirt is part of history too and memorializes the time when the photo was taken. As NJ.com notes, one of the teens was wearing an Alice Cooper T-Shirt and another wearing a Super Mario Brothers T-shirt in the yearbook and they were left as they were.
All the other juniors were wearing assorted T-shirts and college shirts, normal every day wear for teens their age.
School district is investigating the issue of the Photoshopped image
Cheryl Dyer, superintendent of Wall Schools said the school district is currently investigating the issue, saying the school’s student dress code said nothing against wearing clothing expressing a student’s political views.
In fact Dyer said the school administration is all for students getting involved in politics, taking part in democracy and generally making their voices heard.
The New York Daily News spoke to Dyer, who told them the school administrators were unaware of the issue until the yearbooks had already been distributed. She told the newspaper that she is taking the issue seriously and that it will be properly addressed.
Dyer went on to stress that the school district was not involved in the digital alteration of the student’s T-shirt.
Father wants to take legal action
Grant’s father, Joseph Berardo Jr., wants to take the matter further, saying he wants all the yearbooks recalled and that he will be pursuing legal action against the school. He told the Asbury Park Press that he doesn’t understand the censorship of his son’s choice of clothing and that he believes the alteration may have been politically motivated.
