RICHMOND, Va.—A high school official made a mistake by telling a student to cover up a lesbian-themed T-shirt or face suspension, the school’s principal said Dec. 21, a day after the ACLU demanded the school apologize to the teen.

Bethany Laccone, 17, said she was asked to cloak a logo of two interlocked female symbols while attending a class this month at I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth, Va. She’s a full-time senior at nearby Woodrow Wilson High School, where she has not faced a similar ultimatum.

In a letter sent Dec. 20, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia asked Norcom administrators to remove any mention of the incident from Laccone’s records and agree not to similarly censor other students.

The school’s dress code prohibits “bawdy, salacious or sexually suggestive messages.” ACLU leaders want administrators to clarify that students can express political views.

The ACLU gave the school until Jan. 11 to respond or possibly face further action.

“What’s happening to Bethany Laccone is a clear-cut case of unconstitutional censorship,” said Kent Willis, executive director of the Virginia chapter.

On Dec. 21, Norcom Principal Lynn Briley said the school would comply.

“Yes, we did make a mistake,” Briley told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper of Norfolk.

Briley agreed that Laccone had been censored, but said no note had been placed in her file. She said she would apologize to Laccone and try to meet the group’s other demands.

Laccone said she just wants to wear her shirt.

“I don’t feel like I should have to hide my sexuality,” she said.