PHILADELPHIA — Mitt Romney telephoned the family of a 16-year-old Philadelphia girl who has said that she was mocked by her geometry teacher for wearing a Romney ­T-shirt in class.

Romney campaign spokesman Rick Gorka said Thursday that the Republican presidential candidate called Samantha Pawlucy’s home on Wednesday.

Gorka said that while Samantha wasn’t home, her mother was and that Romney told her that he appreciated her daughter’s courage.

The telephone call was first reported by the Pennsylvania website KeystoneReport.com.

The girl briefly returned to school Tuesday. But her father said she never made it to class because she felt uncomfortable.

The teacher has apologized and awaits the results of a school district investigation.