The Poudre School District has denied the Fossil Ridge football team from replacing the names on the backs of it's students jerseys with those of fallen members of the U.S. Armed forces, according to the Coloradoan.
One of the players' parents, Lt. Col. Randy Russell, spoke out against the district's decision.
"I see it as an opportunity to honor the very people that have provided us the freedom to have this very discussion," said Russel.
Russel, a veteran, says that the idea came about after the students took part in a military-like fitness regimen that he and the team's coach created. The program culminated in a hike, where at the end, players spoke about a specific fallen service member.
Russel says that the idea to place the names on the jerseys, however, came from the players, not him.
The Poudre School District has said that their reasoning lies in the fact that the National Federation of State High School Association has a rule that only player and team names are allowed on jerseys, Fox News reported.
They went on to say that if they granted the team's request, they would also have to give other causes the same opportunity to do so and also that they maintain the responsibility to determine what is added to official game jerseys.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado is okay with the district's decision, as it sees no violation of the students' civil rights since it's a district-wide policy, according to the Star Tribune.
