The decision came from Wichita East High School principal Ken Thiessen, stating it wasn’t appropriate since Kelley didn’t play for the varsity team. Kelley actually played on the school’s extracurricular special needs team. Thiessen’s decision sparked many comments and there was even a petition created to reconsider the jackets.
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In the wake of the backlash, Thiessen wrote a letter to the community to explaining his side of the story.
“Yes a comment was made about a year ago to Mr. Kelley’s parent concerning the appropriateness of the letter on the jacket,” Thiessen wrote. “However he has continued to wear his East High letter jacket in the hallways of our school.”
The letter explains how the high school embraces and supports all members of community.
