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'I'm so Hood' T-shirt outrages Clayton Co. 7th-grade mom

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A Clayton County mother is offended by the Field Day T-shirt her seventh-grade daughter brought home from Kendrick Middle School.

"I feel like all parents here in Clayton County should feel the same way I do," said Katrina Foster-Tarver. 

The hot pink T-shirt says "I'm so Hood."  It's a phrase Foster-Tarver finds both degrading and negative. 

"It means 'ghetto,'" she said.

Clayton County Public Schools spokesman David Waller said the T-shirt was meant to honor retiring teacher Sheila Hood, but unfortunately the play on words took on a whole new connotation. 

"Maybe she just got a fast one pulled on her this time," said Waller.  "It would've been a lot better if the teacher's last name was Victory, but it happened to be Hood."

Foster-Tarver is perplexed as to how the school would allow the T-shirt to be printed and worn in lieu of an inspiring message for Field Day. 

Her daughter, seventh-grader Nhina Tarver, said at first the message went right over the students' heads. 

"We were just upset that it didn't say 'seventh-grade,' but we got over it," Nhina said. 

Tarver explained that Hood came up with the design on the T-shirt while the students chose the hot pink color.

"I'm So Hood" is the name of a popular rap song with questionable lyrics.

When Tarver put two and two together she realized, "I'm being called 'ghetto.'" That did not sit well with this honor student or her mother. 

"I make As and Bs. I exceeded most of my CRCT and I'm a good student," Tarver said.

Foster-Tarver kept her daughter from participating in Field Day. It's the first school day Tarver has missed in six years. 

"So here you are, you have on a shirt that says 'I'm so Hood.' You have a song out there that's degrading. That's not a good look," Foster-Tarver said.

Foster-Tarver went to the school to return the T-shirt and ask for her money back. Her $10 was returned to her by the principal.

All the students who participated in Field Day were forced to turn their T-shirts inside out to participate.