Student Banned From High School Yearbook For Making Funny Face

by Amy Hatch (Subscribe to Amy Hatch's posts)
Dec 3rd 2009 4:30PM

Filed under: In The News, Weird But True

A Texas teen with a sense of humor had her picture removed from the high school yearbook for making a funny face for the camera.

Fifteen-year-old Charlie Patton of San Antonio, Texas, mugged for her fellow students on picture day to get them to smile just before her own photograph was taken at for the James Madison High School yearbook, reports news station KENS 5.

The photographer hesitated for a minute when she saw Patton's goofy grin, but the teen gave her permission to snap the shutter. Patton's mother was also present for picture day, and gave her daughter the go-ahead.

"The camera girl looked at my mom and said, 'You alright with that, mom?,'" Patton tells the station. "My mom said, 'Sure, of course.'"

School officials were less amused, and yanked Patton's photo from the yearbook. They even compared her facial expression to a gang sign. A statement released to KENS 5 reads: "Since the yearbook represents the school and the students, the goal is to have every student presented in the best light... Students who make inappropriate faces or gestures or who do not follow the school dress code in their yearbook photos are asked to retake their photo free of charge."

Despite the kerfuffle over her silly face, Patton wears the photograph on her school ID around her neck and also has a T-shirt featuring the snapshot, which she also wears to school.

Patton claims she was never offered a chance for a second photograph.

"It's almost like they are deleting me from James Madison High School," she tells KENS 5.

ReaderComments (Page 4 of 31)

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12-06-2009 @ 8:22PM

Chiqua said...

I'm baffled. Since when is a goofy smile a gang sign ??? Ridiculous !

12-06-2009 @ 8:28PM

The K said...

Schools today no longer focus on what's important in schools, they just pick on stupid stuff like this. If she's happy with her photo, what's it to them? Because I wear glasses, the photographer makes me put my head down against my chest, on my school ID I look like Jabba the Hut! Do they care I look crappy, no.......and no retakes since I'm staff!

Hey James Madison! Why don't you concentrate on teaching kids instead of judging school pictures?

12-06-2009 @ 8:44PM

kara21a2007 said...

how about publishing the name of the person that made the decision for the pi\c to not be in the yearr biik. If you are gonna publish the name if this 15 year old girl, have the deciency to publish the name of the person that has take away this girs memories forever.

12-06-2009 @ 8:23PM

Diana said...

I'm sick of these misleading little articles. What gang sign was she throwing? She just wanted attention desperately so she made a fool of herself to get it. And why was her Mother there on picture day. That is weird too.

12-06-2009 @ 11:51PM

Madisa said...

To Diana: who the hell are to say that this girl just wanted attention??/!! she was just trying to break the ice. and in case you didnt notice her age is 15 yrs old!!! she is a freshmen in high school for crying out loud!! she might have been nervous. who knows!! and she is not an idiot no one is an idiot, no one is dumb!!
This is the thing that really ticks me off is the innocent, doing something Innocent!! and Completely harmless!!! and some old administrator hag wants to come and (Gasp) about it!!!! WTH??/!! because their sensitive and blah blah BS They need 2 Quit their JOB!!!!

12-06-2009 @ 8:24PM

Tray said...

What a bunch of hardasses.

12-06-2009 @ 8:27PM

Margaret said...

Gang related? That is almost funnier than the picture itself !! But she is allowed to have her picture on her school id? Sounds like the school administrators in Texas need to find something to do !!

Cyndee said...

This is insane to say that this child was making a gang sign or an improper picture for the year book. Where are the signs, where are the expressions. Does this mean that all the actors are gang members. Please, there are more concerns then a child making a funny face.

12-06-2009 @ 9:49PM

nickels111292 said...

Omg thats bullshit!!!

12-06-2009 @ 8:33PM

Robert said...

Not like Korea that is a dictatorship. We are becoming a fascistic state that will evolve into George Orwells 1984. Individualism and individual rights are slowly being eradicated period.

Ken said...

Its Texas what do you expect.

12-07-2009 @ 1:21AM

Lily El Paso, Texas said...

Ken what do you mean its Texas what do you expect. The world is full of idiots everywhere look at your comment. As for the picture we must remember that it was an individual who made the decision and not the whole school.Therefore, the state board should look into this matter and make sure the administrator has a degree in Education not in Bitteration! lol... Leave the young lady alone and allow her to smile how ever she wants. This is what our country needs more humor and less bitterness. I say that administrator should retire.

12-06-2009 @ 8:31PM

CHERI said...

I think her picture was cute!!!! She will look back on this situation in a couple of years or when she's a mother or grandmother and her kids will think that she really had spunk. Who the heck is she hurting any way??? I do not get the part that the article mentioned about similar to a gang sign. What gang? Something maybe the 3 Stooges would do.. and they were hysterical. I think she has alot of guts and the school is stupid for not letting her have this picture in the year book.. Is it going to give the school a bad name? She will be someone that her fellow alununi ( forgot how to spell that word) will look back on and say she had some balls!!! I bet all her friends wanted a picture of her..

12-06-2009 @ 11:13PM

rubechaz said...

Another example of 'zero tolerance' thinking on the administration's part. A gang comparison? Fools!

12-07-2009 @ 7:59PM

Alyssa said...

let her express herself. i see no gang signs. it wasnt like she flashed the camera or gave the middle finger. tell the school to get over it. the other students should get a petition in to the school.

Gab said...

omg how stupid are these people?
the girl was just making a funny face
how the hell does that have to do with gang signs?
apparently the school doesn't have anything better to do or anything to pick on
idiots

What?! said...

I think I understand what the school administrators were seeking. If they let the girl getting away with it, then everyone in the school would copy her mischief. It has something to do with the school discipline that every student need to stay behaved. They should have told her to retake the picture without explaining the reason for it. Claiming it as a gang sign was a very poor reason that ended up making the administrators looking bad. Enough said.

12-06-2009 @ 9:33PM

Rich said...

It's a gang sign but there doesn't have to be any sign because the stupid azz school officials only deal in suppression of the individual. They all sit around in their teachers lounge and try to pretend that they are god's and that they are the only smart people alive as a way to justify their being part of "HIGHER EGGHEAD EDUCATION". I have never meet a teacher or school official that don't think that they are way above us mire mortals. The papers are full of zero tollerance but they can't think outside of that box or deal with anything that they are not programed to deal with. It don't need to make sense of add up if it isn't in the rule book then its not tollerated. Every so called educator has a specialty that they deal with but on average they don't know all that much outside their own personal field of education and a lot of them teach many false informations because they are so centralized about what they actually really do know but they passed the test to say that they know enough about an overall spread of subjects. Thank god that our younger generation is able to think outside the box and lets the world more ahead into the new millanium and advances us beyond that the nav sayers say is the only way.

12-06-2009 @ 11:03PM

Sissysam91a said...

You bash the BOE, and you can't even spell properly? That's funny.

12-06-2009 @ 8:34PM

Tanner said...

I feel bad for any disabled in her school

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