14 DAY TRIAL // An eight-year-old girl from Virginia was refused re-enrollment at her Christian school because her appearance and behavior didn't fit “biblical standards.”
Sunnie Kahle, who lives with her grandparents in Timberlake, doesn't embrace what you would call a conventional feminine style, as she wears t-shirts, snickers and jeans and prefers a short haircut. She also likes collecting autographed baseballs, hunting knives and coins.
Officials at Timberlake Christian School have decided that Sunnie doesn’t look or act enough like a girl, so they sent her grandparents, who are her legal guardians, a letter to remind them of school policy and let them know that the girl was in danger of being refused enrollment for next year due to her tomboy appearance.
In the letter, the school's principle Becky Bowman mentions that Sunnie's classmates were confused as to whether she was a boy or a girl, and informs her grandparents that she won't be allowed to return to their school if she doesn't stop dressing like a boy.
“We believe that unless Sunnie as well as her family clearly understand that God has made her female and her dress and behavior need to follow suit with her God-ordained identity, that TCS is not the best place for her future education,” the letter said, according to 9News.
The girl's grandparents, Doris and Carroll Thompson, were furious with the letter and felt offended. They took the decision to remove Sunnie from Timberlake Christian School and send her to a public school instead. They said they didn't want to give the school a chance to humiliate their granddaughter.
“Sunnie realizes she's a female, but she wants to do boy things. She wants to play rough and tough,” Ms Thompson said.
“To claim that we are condoning sexual immorality in our home is nonsense. We are Christians. We understand the Bible. Sunnie knows it very well. She has accepted Christ,” she added.
After the story went public and appeared in the media, school administrators released a statement defending the letter and saying they have not accused Sunnie of any wrongdoing and simply wanted her and her family to follow the guidelines set for students.
Timberlake Christian School is a private school, which means it has the right to deny enrollment to any child for any reason.
Sunnie, on the other hand, was very upset with the whole incident, because she was separated from her old friends and familiar school.