NOKESVILLE, Va. — After several parents voiced concerns about an elementary school’s proposed “Nerd Day,” school officials decided to say no to nerds.
As part of its spirit week, students at Greenville Elementary had named Oct. 1 Nerd Day.
Hallway flyers showed students with big glasses and braces.
But some parents took issue with the message that could send and contacted the principal. As the attention increased, Nerd Day was scrapped.
“It’s just very disheartening, especially for a school that promotes anti-bullying to attach a stigma to a group of children,” says one mother who asked that her name not be released.
“In my daughter’s class, somebody’s like, ‘I get to dress like you next week,'” another says.
Initially, principal Dan Phillips sent emails to concerned parents, informing them that the dress up choice was a student decision. He planned to allow it to go forward.
After the story first aired on WTOP, that decision was reversed.
“I started talking to my students, and they would rather just do away with any negative publicity that we might get with this day and go with something more positive that parents won’t be upset with,” Phillips says.
A replacement for Nerd Day has not yet been chosen.
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