A private school in Owasso, Oklahoma is under scrutiny after expelling an 8-year-old girl for reportedly telling a female classmate that she had a crush on her.
Chloe Shelton was called into the vice principal's office and admonished for this, which eventually resulted in hers and her younger brother's expulsion from the institution.
When Chloe's mother came to pick up her daughter, she was confronted with an unwelcome question.
"The vice-principal asked me how do I feel like girls liking girls and I said if we're being honest, I think it's okay for girls to like girls and she looked shocked and appalled."
Delanie Shelton, the mother of Chloe and her brother, said the experience has traumatized her little girl.
"My daughter was crying saying 'Does God still love me?' and if she was wrong for the way she feels."
Shelton plans to find a new school for her two children in the middle of a pandemic, but the school remains unapologetic.
"We do not allow students at Rejoice to engage in boyfriend/girlfriend relationships while at school," they said when approached by the media. However, this school policy does not state that expulsion is a consequence for this, nor do they specify anything about children informing another student of a crush.
Superintendent Joel Pepin declined to comment when pressed further:
"Due to privacy and other factors, it is the school's policy to refrain from public comments regarding any particular student or family."
Shelton remains furious:
"They ripped my kids out of the only school they've ever really known away from their teachers and friends they've had over the past four years over something my daughter probably doesn't know or fully understand."
However, Chloe has received plenty of support from all around the country in the form of letters and messages, reassuring her that God loves her and that no matter how she grows up, she should be proud of who she is
"She's feeling so loved and supported now because of so many amazing people that have reached out to us," Shelton said to CNN. "She's excited for a fresh start at a new school.".
We, too, wish Chloe the best at her new school.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky