District defends taking ammo belt, helmet
Social media storm follows confiscation
The social media storm surrounding a Rondout Valley High School st udent being stripped of his Captain America costume by the school was a tempest in a teapot, according to district officials.
Rondout Valley school district Superintendent Rosario Agostaro said high school officials acted out of an abundance of caution when they confiscated an ammunition belt and World War II helmet that high school senior Steven Snyder wore to school Monday as part of Spirit Week.
Snyder dressed as Captain America appears in the movie “Captain America: First Avenger” for Spirit Week’s Movie Day.
But school officials, apparently concerned that Snyder’s costume included an authentic World War II helmet and the ammo belt, forced the senior to remove the offending items.
Snyder could not be reached for comment Wednesday. On his Facebook page, he wrote: “I’m not really at liberty (and in my best interest) to discuss anything. More info will soon come.”
In a Facebook post with an Instagram photo that has gone viral, Snyder’s sister, Keli, said her brother was “harassed so badly over his offensive costume and his motives for wearing it, he ended up leaving school.”
“They confiscated his original WWII helmet, canteen food pouch belt and suspenders,“Keli Snyder wrote. “[He’s] a huge history buff, and Captain America is his favorite. He put a ton of work into making sure his outfit was pretty darn perfect and authentic.
“If Captain America is offensive to you, you should probably leave America,” she wrote.
As of Wednesday evening, the post had been shared on Facebook more than 2,000 times and had generated attention from
as far away as Utah.
Agostaro, who described himself as “probably one of the biggest Captain America fans there is,” said that because the district has received “several anonymous threats” to its schools in the recent past, officials tend to operate on a “heightened alert.”
The superintendent said when Snyder came into school, he was wear-
ing an ammunition belt, “and that’s what the assistant principal saw when he came into the office.”
He said Snyder was asked to remove the belt as well as the metal helmet because “it could hurt someone.”
The items were ultimately returned to the student, Agostaro said.
The superintendent said he knows Snyder and his family well, and he described the student as a “good kid, a good young man” who is very much into history.
But, he said, “in our day and age, because of the threats of violence we’ve had and these anonymous threats, I think we have to be a little careful.”
“We have to err on the side of caution,” he said.
In a private message to a reporter, Keli Snyder wrote: “We somewhat understand his belt being a problem, it was empty, and though to the general public it just looks like cargo pockets, it is a WWII surplus belt used for many things, including ammunition, so we understand it is weapon related.
However, there was no reason for taking his helmet ... suspenders or [canteen]. He was also made to show/empty his pockets and show and explain the shirt under his jacket, an underarmor Captain America shirt.
“He’s a senior and a good kid who really does embody the ideals of Captain America,” she said.
Agostaro said he was not aware of items other than the belt and helmet being taken from Snyder or whether he was made to empty his pockets.
“The investigations, and however they do it, [are] done at the building level,” he said.
Agostaro said he intends to meet with Snyder and his parents at the end of the week.
“We have a good relationship with the young man and the family, and we want to make it right,” he said.
Agostaro said the high school might have to be a little clearer in the future about what types of costumes will be acceptable during Spirit Week.