Possible scenario: Teacher offers student 3 alternatives 1) cover with other shirt or jacket. 2) Turn inside out. 3) cover with tape or paper.
Student decides to become belligerent and rude.
Other students decide to feed into his behavior and he acts out worse since he has an audience.
But this is a possible scenario I am not jumping to conclusions, unlike some of the others here.
He doesn’t have to remove the shirt, there’s the problem. Tinker established that students don’t check their first amendment rights at the schoolhouse doors. School administrators, not teachers, can limit these rights if they reasonably forecast that their speech will create a substantial disruption. This kid will win his lawsuit.
Actually there’s a 4th alternative: Teacher leaves kid alone. The shirt didn’t violate any school policy - just annoyed and angered intolerant teacher!!!
However, you wouldn’t have thought of that alternative because you appear to be just a bootlicking, go-along to get-along type of person.
My school system has a dress policy. Teachers are NOT expected to enforce it. We are asked to send the students to the office and let the administration deal with it. I am there to teach; I don’t have time to discuss the intricate policies of dress code.