Boy allowed to bring 'My Little Pony' backpack back to school

A North Carolina woman said school officials lifted the ban on her 9-year-old son's "My Little Pony" backpack and are introducing new anti-bullying measures. Noreen Bruce of Asheville said she met with Buncombe County Schools administrators Thursday and they agreed to allow her son, Grayson, to resume using his "My Little Pony" backpack, which they had earlier told him not to bring to school because it "triggers bullying," the Asheville Citizen-Times reported Friday. "We are considering all options for getting Grayson back in school," Bruce said Thursday. "We are pleased the school system is working closely with us. All of the options include Grayson taking his My Little Pony bag to school." Bruce said she felt "much better" after her talk with superintendent Tony Baldwin and director of student services David Thompson. "We had a real heart-to-heart talk," Bruce said. "I strongly feel we can work together to make things better for Grayson and all the students in our school system." Bruce said she and Thompson talked about forming a parent advisory council to help the schools deal with bullying-related issues. Buncombe County Schools administrators released a statement Thursday saying Bruce would be involved in creating "a safety transition plan and an allowance for Grayson to bring the bookbag to school." "We have appreciated the opportunity to meet with the Bruce family and discuss the issues. We sincerely regret that the issue of being told to leave the bookbag at home was perceived as blaming Grayson. While that was not the intent, the perception became reality. We support Grayson bringing the bookbag to school." the statement said.