A teacher in Utah is apologizing after telling a student he had to wipe off the ash cross on his forehead.
William recalled the incident saying, "The teacher walked over and said like, 'What is that?' and I was like, 'It's Ash Wednesday and I'm Catholic. It's the first day of lent.' And [she] was like, 'No, it's inappropriate, go take it off.'"
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William McCleoud says several of his classmates watched as he was forced to wipe it off.
School officials say what happened is not acceptable.
One official said, "When a student comes in to school with ashes on their forehead, it's not something we say, 'Please take off.'"
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The teacher gave William a handwritten apology.
He and his family say they hope the incident serves as a valuable learning experience.