YORBA LINDA, Calif. — A “typographical error”
resulted in the recall of student T-shirts at Linda Vista Elementary School’s
recent jog-a-thon, after a parent called the phone number printed on the back
of the shirts and was connected to an adult chat line.
T-shirts were handed out to all students participating in
the Oct. 16 jog-a-thon during recess and recalled before students left at the
end of the day, Principal Jackie Howland said. The school believes that all of
the T-shirts were retrieved, but parents were called just in case, Howland
said.
The T-shirts featured the school mascot — a lion — running
with a 1-800 number featuring words instead of numbers.
The number was written as a cute slogan for the jog-a-thon,
but turned out to be an actual number, said Rosemary Gladden, public
information officer for Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.
Linda Vista PTA is not the first group to make a mistake
with that exact spoof number. The two word 800 number shows up online as part
of a popular running slogan sold on T-shirts and merchandise.
But a Google search for the 1-800 number on its own returns
news articles and blogs about schools in Ohio and Iowa that made the same
mistake.
The 1-800 number goes to an adult chat phone line.
The shirts were printed by the PTA, which spent over 500
hours volunteering for the event, Howland said.
Multiple attempts to speak with PTA members went unanswered.
Despite the embarrassing mistake, Howland said the
jog-a-thon was success, raising $25,000 for student activities.
“It was an innocent mistake,” Gladden said.
“Parents have been very understanding.”
Via McClatchy-Tribune News Service.
