These two football teams gave Sam Jordan -- a student with Down's Syndrome -- a special senior night.

[Nevilledog]

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Tweet text:
Rex Chapman🏇🏼
@RexChapman
·
Mar 27, 2021
Charlotte, North Carolina:

These two football teams gave Sam Jordan — a student with Down’s Syndrome — a special senior night.

Sam has been the student manager on the squad for four years.

Sports. Humanity.

This is the Twitter content I’m here for...



Rex Chapman🏇🏼
@RexChapman
Story...

NC football teams give Sam, a student with Down syndrome, a night to remember
“Let’s go!” Two North Carolina football teams come together on Senior Night to make a dream come true for manager Sam Jordan, who has Down syndrome.
charlotteobserver.com
8:52 AM · Mar 27, 2021

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/high-school/article250250940.html

[onecaliberal]

1. I love this so much.

[Siwsan]

2. Two of my cousins have had Downs Syndrome and my dad was a football coach. This is so touching

After Dad left the coaching position, he became a vice-principal/principal at a middle school. His daily routine included a stop at the Special Education classroom to give and get hugs and high fives from what were his favorite students.

I know that might raise eyebrows amongst some, but there was just a pure joy shared between Dad and those students. They all always knew they had a champion in my dad. I'm sure some of this came from one of Dad's only two nieces having Downs.

[crickets]

3. What an amazing, wonderful thing both teams did for this young man.

So kind and sweet. Aw, I'm all weepy now!

[MustLoveBeagles]

4. K&R

[cyclonefence]

5. I am a cynic

As the mother of a daughter with serious disabilities, I find this all very nice, but a little condescending and patronizing. The "typical" kids participating are praised for their kindness, their open hearts--the honor isn't really for Sam. Did these kids on the football team once invite Sam to their parties? Did they call him up to hang out on weekends? What children with disabilities need, more than special days honoring them for being manager of the football team, is to be treated like every other kid in school, particularly in social matters. These kids do not have friends or even casual acquaintances, and this is an area which all the special education in the world, all the "life skills" classes cannot address.

So hurray for Sam's "special day," but I wish Sam's teammates would honor him with "normal days" once in a while.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. This makes me smile