for the school its much easier to say "if a kids getting bullied for something he's wearing, then he should stop wearing it" than to deal with the actual problem of the bully themselves.

BUT, because of "bronies", I would NEVER let my son carry this lunchbag to school.

This is just my opinion, so please don't jump on me.

They are in sixth and eighth grade. I let them make their own decisions on the subject of what MLP stuff to bring or wear to school. It works for us.

Just a question....your 14 yr old son watched MLP?

He watches it fairly regularly. As do many of his friends. I don't know exactly what woodworks a person to be a brownie, but both he and his brother use that term self referentially.

I just talked to my 16 year old nephew.

He doesn't know anything about this. But he's out playing football and stuff....

A couple of years ago, a friend told them about it. They were skeptical, but tried it and liked it. I've seen a few episodes and don't get the appeal, but I'm not going to tell them what they should like. If rather that they watched college football with me, but that doesn't interest them. We do watch Mythbusters together.

It is the school's responsibility to stop the bullying, and that means disciplining the bullies rather than the kid being bullied.

While the school does have the right to have a dress code, that dress code needs to be applied equally to all students. Using a dress code to enforce gender conformity is discriminatory on its face.

I don't like seeing schools sued so hopefully this school gets their act together before the suit is filed, but if they don't it seems this family has a case against them.

Schools never go after the bully.

and I DO. NOT. TOLERATE. BULLYING. PERIOD. Fuck that noise.

after that it's up to other officials and they generally speaking do not go after bullies-they do have special sessions however to teach kids to use "their words rather than their fists", unfortunately the kids in these sessions are the ones getting bullied not the bullies themselves. The message is if you can't talk your way out getting punched then it's your own fault

I speak from experience as a parent who a few years ago when it was my son got sick of this crap, we photographed the bruises he was coming home with gave them to the school along with names to no avail-finally we told him hit the main kid back no matter what the school tells you-he did- the bullying stopped cold

sorry it had to come that but they're called bullies for a reason

She tried getting the school to address the problem when a boy several years older was harassing her. Nothing was done, she was told to avoid him but they wouldn't do anything. So my dad told her to take care of it. Kid sister did competitive martial arts at the time. SO the next time the boy said something inappropriate she punched him once in the face: cracked the orbit of his eye and dropped him.

She got suspended but the little creep went to the hospital.

I'm sure he grew up to be a real winner. Wonder what his DU name is.

he didn't hospitalize the kid but he did get left alone

and good for your sister sounds like my younger sister-she's a five time black belt in Tae Kwon Do is still competing at 53

I don't believe we've met. The door of my classroom is hardly the extent of my impact, but thanks for the inference. I am an unfortunately small patriarchal influence in the two buildings I work, yet I work for the school and district as a whole, rather than just in my little fiefdom. Wherever I witness behavior that is not conducive to positive social connections and sharing of ideas, it is quashed. With extreme prejudice. My students know that if there is a problem, I will be the bad guy and deal with it. The only one allowed to be hurt in my school is me.

If the school officials won't do anything about it, what is a parent to do?

I'm just worried that, in 2014, a punch isn't going to be enough, cause kids are fighting differently these days.

the parent should call the police and file charges. These are crimes, and they should be treated as such.

Who really wants to have a kid these days?

It's all over the movies. I hate it.

to wear pony-gear. Stand up for the little guy, you know?

I watch My Little Pony with my 10 and 13 year old daughters, and my 13 and 17 year old sons. That school administration doesn't have a clue.

Unlike Family Guy and the rest of the shock-dirt cartoons, we can all watch it and everyone enjoys it

His choice to remain true to himself should be encouraged.

Children who punch, push, and call names need to stop. Those behaviors should not be acceptable to the school administration - I would question why they are.

who wore MLP t-shirts. Of course no one missed with him because he was 6'2 and built like a foot ball player.

For the most part, who cares what the kid wears? I could see a school having a reasonable dress code (no belly shirts, shorts below the finger tips, pants that don't fall off when you walk) but a pretty bag isn't going to hurt anyone. If anyone needs to be in trouble, it's the little bullies who keep messing with this boy.

What if he were transgendered or didn't claim any gender at all? Or he claimed both genders? Then what? We put way too much pressure on our kids (and ourselves) to fit into predetermined gender roles as it is. Let them be kids and figure out what they like on their own without turning toys and clothes into stand-ins for sex and gender.

Sounds like they are losing to middle schoolers...

NEVER - NEVER - NEVER intervened - Parents of bullied children almost never intervened and almost always blamed the victims even if it was their own children. I am glad that at least things seem to be getting better simply because at least the problem is being acknowledged.

"Just ignore them." Right.

and both "boy" and "girl" cartoons. Other than some Dora stuff when he was younger, I admit that I'm afraid to buy him "girl" cartoon stuff because of things like this.