There's controversy in Weymouth, Massachusetts, after a school superintendent shut down a high school fundraiser.
"Whiteouts" are popular fan events in college football, the NHL and the MLB. Last month, the San Diego Padres wore solid white uniforms when they played the Boston Red Sox.
But in Weymouth, the superintendent sent out a letter saying the girls' soccer team's plans for a whiteout T-shirt fundraiser were racially "insensitive."
"That doesn't really make sense," said Weymouth High School junior Victoria Wedolowska.
"It's just a color. It's just a T-shirt," said junior Mary Romano.
Students and parents are still reacting to the letter that went out Friday. Superintendent Jennifer Curtis-Whipple wrote, "We learned … a private booster group supporting women's soccer is selling insensitive apparel … While we are not suggesting this booster group had any malicious intent—make no mistake, words matter … They have done great work in the past, even though they made a mistake here."
The letter was sent to 7,000 people, but the school district would not provide WFXT a copy.
The letter created an uproar. The Weymouth mayor called it an "overreach," while a parent said they were furious and hurt the superintendent would imply the fundraiser had racial undertones.
Weymouth residents don't get it, either.
"They're blowing it out of proportion. I don't think it's racist at all," said Susan McNally.
"You can’t have a white shirt. You can’t have any kind of colors. You can’t say anything anymore that offends anybody," said Bob Stellar.
A concerned parent said: "They did this in the purest form of a fundraiser and it was taken down a different path. What the parents want is for this to go away. It's bad."
WFXT tried to reach the superintendent Wednesday, but she would not make herself available.
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