The daughter of a slain police officer is upset after a New York school district banned staff from wearing a sweatshirt intended to honor her father, calling it "political" because she displayed the "Thin Blue Line" flag. She is a member of the staff.
Carla Caccavale, whose father was fatally shot in 1976 when she was just 20 days old, called out the Pelham, NY, superintendent for allowing staff to wear Black Lives Matter-related gear while banning the sweatshirt with a patch honoring her father, Transit Police Detective George Caccavale.
"The staff was allowed to wear one and not the other, and now it's hard for me to explain to my children, who are used to seeing the staff wear it on Friday, why a sweatshirt honoring their grandfather is no longer allowed," Caccavale told "Fox & Friends" Tuesday.
Dr. Cheryl Champ, Pelham Public Schools superintendent, allegedly asked staff to remove Thin Blue Line masks and eventually the sweatshirts while allowing staff members to wear shirts that said "Vote" and displayed the names of minorities killed in police incidents up to Election Day, Caccavale said. The superintendent also reportedly referred to the "Thin Blue Line" flag as a white supremacist symbol.
The Pelham Public Schools put out a statement saying the decision was part of a "long-standing policy with regards to the limits of political activities in the school environment and is working to implement it consistently."
The district added: "We have never wavered in our support for law enforcement, especially our local police, and appreciate all that they do to keep us safe."
