Kid Bullied Over Homemade Shirt Gets Full Ride At U of Tennessee

The kids who drove a Florida fourth-grader to tears when they bullied him over his homemade University of Tennessee spirit day tee-shirt aren’t even coming close to getting the last word.

The world in general has recoiled against their behavior, standing up in a universal message of support for the boy, and now his favorite college is putting the cost of a four-year education behind an emphatic, anti-bullying stand.

The Altamonte Springs, Florida, boy’s homemade design had already inspired a University of Tennessee Volunteers tee-shirt. Pre-orders exceed 50,000, and proceeds will go to STOMP Out Bullying, a leading anti-bullying advocacy organization.

The story of the fourth-grader who just wanted to belong, to be part of something the whole school was doing, touched the world after his teacher, Laura Snyder, wrote about it on Facebook.

He couldn’t afford pricey UT Vols merchandise, but wearing an orange tee-shirt on college colors day was a good way to show support. Snyder was impressed when college-colors day arrived and she saw the improvised UT logo.

Related: Bullied Over Homemade T-Shirt, Kid Inspires UT Volunteers Design

“I know kids can be cruel,” Snyder wrote after finding the boy in her classroom, crying at his desk, his head in his arms after being made fun of for his homemade shirt. “I am aware that it’s not the fanciest sign. BUT this kid used the resources he had available to him to participate in spirit day.”

Now, if the fourth-grader keeps his grades up, he has a four-year scholarship waiting if he decides to become a University of Tennessee Volunteer.

Kids Bullied Most Often Because They’re Poor

The Florida boy is among one in three students who are bullied every day in America. Some 160,000 kids stay home from school every day to avoid their bullies, often like those girls in Altamonte Springs who singled the fourth-grader out over something he had no control over — his family’s budget. Economic disparity isn’t the only reason kids are bullied, but it’s one of the big ones.

Bullying is a global problem, but in wealthy countries like the United States, socioeconomic status is the main reason kids are bullied in wealthy countries, according to a late 2018 United Nations report.

With growing awareness of the terrible effects of bullying have come more emphasis on empathy programs in public schools and stronger anti-bullying legislation. To stop it, everybody has to get on board, according to experts in Patch’s national reporting project on bullying.

Partnerships like the one for the college colors day tee-shirt to benefit STOMP Out Bullying are becoming more common as businesses and organizations recognize how pervasive bullying is, how longlasting the effects can be and their own social responsibility commitments to cultural change. Another anti-bullying group, No Bully, a Patch news partner, has launched major initiatives with big names like ESPN and Major League Baseball.

With its scholarship offer, the University of Tennessee added its voice to the growing conversation that bullying isn’t OK.

“In recognition of the fourth-grader’s Volunteer spirit, the university has extended an offer of admission for him to join the Class of 2032,” the university said in a press release Thursday. “In addition, he has been awarded a four-year scholarship covering his tuition and fees beginning fall 2028 should he decide to attend UT and meet admission requirements.”

UT officials have been in contact with the Florida boy’s mother, and she is deeply touched by the overwhelming outpouring of support from around the world, the university said in a press release Thursday.

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As part of a national reporting project, Patch has been looking at society’s roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child’s unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

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