Colorado school district says no military personnel names on sports jerseys

Along with physical work, they were required to research deceased members of the Armed Forces. The uniforms were purchased by the high school booster club.

Air force Reserve Lt. Colonel Randy Russell says about a year ago he and the head football coach at Fossil Ridge came up with an idea for the team’s military appreciation night.

“So the Fossil Ridge High School football team will be wearing camouflage jerseys and camouflage trousers at a special game in honor of military recognition”, said Edie Eckles, a spokeswoman with the Poudre Valley School District.

But in another statement released shortly after, the district provided reasons for the denial.

“PSD can not comply with this request without giving other causes the same opportunity”. PSD policy regarding this matter is meant to protect students from being used for promotional purposes.

“We feel that it’s just really unfortunate that one small detail in the process that Fossil has been going through is overshadowing the attitude of the students and of the staff and of the district, particularly to our fallen veterans”, Smyser said.

As a publicly funded agency, PSD respects the diverse opinions of our community.

As such, the district and school are working to find ways to honor military heroes.

The Colorado Excessive Faculty Actions Affiliation, which oversees highschool athletics in Colorado, has bylaws that restrict groups to a Four-square-inch memorial patch on uniforms.

CHSAA assistant commissioner Harry Waterman told the Coloradoan the organization does not prohibit a team from placing a player’s name – or anyone’s name – on the back of a jersey.

“If I live in a country where we cannot honor our war dead by memorializing them on the back of a jersey, that’s not the country that I grew up in”, said Russell.

Colorado high schools, by the way, are permitted by the state athletic association to wear the names of corporate sponsors on their uniforms.