Small bracelet, big trouble

PLANT CITY - It was designed for spreading awareness and worn for honoring relatives. But it also caused a huge controversy at one school.

The bracelet in question only cost Frankie Rodriguez $4 and change, but at school, it cost him even more.

"I told them I wasn't going to hand the bracelet over, and they just went overboard," Frankie said.

For about a month, Frankie had proudly displayed the white bracelet around his wrist. There wasn't much to it, at least not until one of his teachers spotted it.

"They just took it as sexual and it wasn't anything like that at all," he insisted.

The bracelet reads simply, "I ♥ boobies" and "Keep A Breast."

Frankie says he wears it to support family members who once suffered from breast cancer; the bracelets are marketed by the "Keep A Breast" Foundation, a non-profit cancer awareness group.  To school administrators at Tomlin Middle School in Plant City, it was a huge distraction.

Frankie's mom Angie sees it much differently.

"We have a lot of family members that have survived breast cancer and other sorts of cancer and it's really important to our family, " she explained.

Last Friday, school officials took the bracelet and later returned it. On Monday, Frankie wore it again, but this time had turned it inside out to avoid trouble. It didn't work.

Administrators demanded the bracelet, but Frankie refused to turn it over. Thats when the 14-year-old found himself facing school suspension, according to school spokesperson Linda Cobbe.

"The student was disciplined for being disrespectful and inappropriate behavior because he was disrespectful to the teacher and school resource officer. It was not about the bracelet itself," said Cobbe.

Due to the tussle over the bracelet, Frankie has decided to keep his personal causes close to heart, instead of his wrist.

"I kinda just don't want to get in any more trouble, " Frankie added.

School officials reminded all students that under the current dress code, the bracelets are not appropriate to wear at school.