Colorado Springs, CO -- One Colorado, the state’s leading advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) Coloradans and their families, issued the following statement from Executive Director Daniel Ramos on the suspension of a five year old student for disobeying their school’s dress code by wearing an earring.‍

“Rocky Mountain Classical Academy is a public charter school and is using public funds to discriminate on the basis of sex. While female students are allowed to wear earrings, this student was suspended for doing so. It is vitally important that young students be treated equally and allowed to explore their gender expression without fear of punishment or, in this case, expulsion.”

- Daniel Ramos, Executive Director, One Colorado.

‍Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits federally funded institutions from discriminating on the basis of sex. The school released the following statement to KXRM:

“Rocky Mountain Classical Academy works hard every day to create a positive school environment for all its students. Since the School’s opening, an important component of this has included a dress code for all students. Our dress code is part of our overall student code of conduct, which expects students to uphold a high standard of excellence and contribute in a positive fashion to their class and the school. Our dress code is published on our website and contained in the Parent Student Handbook, which all parents must review and sign at the beginning of each school year. The mother in this situation signed the Parent Student Handbook at the beginning of the year like all other parents. She was aware of RMCA’s dress code prior to enrolling her son in Kindergarten.As with every other parent, numerous RMCA employees have asked the mother to bring her son to school in compliance with the dress code, which would mean removing his earrings when he is at school. She has refused and appealed her disagreement up the chain of command to the RMCA Board, which upheld the dress code after a public meeting on December 3, 2019. Once the Board made its final decision, the School instructed the mother to comply with the dress code by December 9, but she continued to refuse. This left the School no choice but to suspend the student for willfully disobeying the School’s rules. The School will continue to insist that this family, like every other, obeys the RMCA dress code, which contributes towards the positive educational environment that all RMCA families enjoy each day.”