A security guard at a high school in Rochester Hills, Michigan, stopped a military dad from entering the building this week because he was wearing his Army uniform.
Lt. Col. Sherwood Baker had stopped by Rochester Adams High School to deal with a scheduling issue for his daughter, his wife Rachel Ferhadson told Fox News.
But the guard wouldn’t let him in the door. Baker was told to either take off the uniform or use the phone.
“They told him some kids might not understand, and might be offended,” Ferhadson said. “So they gave him a choice, told him he could phone in to the office or go home and change his clothes.”
Instead, Baker and his wife called the office of the school superintendent – who himself had served as a combat Marine.
A staff member came out to let the Lieutenant Colonel into the school.
The superintendent, Robert Shaner told them he was “appalled” at what had happened. The principal expressed “regret” to the family.
Baker’s wife said the school has “taken steps to correct what happened,” but added that she “doesn’t know what they would have done” if her husband had not been allowed into the school.
Shaner, meanwhile, released a statement to Fox 2 in Detroit, saying, “The district has apologized for any perception that individuals in uniform are not welcome in the school. The district does not have a policy excluding individuals in uniform and will be working with administration and the firm that handles our security to make sure district policies are understood and communicated accurately.”