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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFlorida teacher suspended for forcing kids to say pledge on Sept. 11 or ‘go to your home country’
By David Edwards
Wednesday, November 6, 2013 15:49 EST
A Florida teacher was recently suspended without pay for five days after school officials said that she forced a fourth grade student to violate his religious beliefs and say the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that the student, whose Jehovahs Witness religion forbids him from worshiping objects, was used to standing silent while the other students put their hands over their hearts and recited the pledge.
But on the morning of Sept. 11, Explorer K-8 School teacher Anne Daigle-McDonald forcibly placed the boys hand over his heart.
You are an American, and you are supposed to salute the flag, she said, turning to the class. In my classroom, everyone will do the pledge; no religion says that you cant do the pledge.
If you cant put your hand on your heart, then you need to move out of the country, the teacher reportedly added.
Hernando County Schools Division of Business Services-Heather Martin Executive Director later told Daigle-McDonald that nearly all of the students in her fourth grade class had recalled her telling them the next day to move back to their home country if they didnt want to say the pledge.
But thats not what I said, Daigle-McDonald insisted. It was directed at citizenship. I was talking about pledging allegiance to our country, and if you dont want to pledge to our country, you should go to your home country.
The teacher said that she had no idea that the boy was a Jehovahs Witness but admitted that the mother had told her he did not celebrate holidays.
just wanted all of the students to respect the day, she remarked. It wasnt a holiday, so I didnt see why the whole class couldnt say the pledge.
In its 1943 West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette ruling, the Supreme Court found that it was unconstitutional to force students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Watch this video from WTSP, broadcast Nov. 5, 2013.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/06/florida-teacher-suspended-for-forcing-kids-to-say-pledge-on-sept-11-or-go-to-your-home-country/
Full article posted with permission
HooptieWagon
(17,064 posts)Let her lose a week's pay, and she can use the week off to consider her lack of sensitivity. And hopefully, attorneys for the school board will send out a memo to all schools, staff, and teachers reminding them of constitutional rights of students.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)utterly clueless.
Why should any be required to recite a loyalty oath? Why would I pledge my "allegiance" to a "flag"?
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)Truth is, the whole exercise is relatively archaic. The whole "hand over heart" schtick and pledging are things of a long ago past when this might have actually meant something. There is no real reason anymore to be teaching this crap to kids, other than in a history class.
Auggie
(31,165 posts)at her cost, too.
zbdent
(35,392 posts)the union should really, really, really take their time coming to her defense ...
lunasun
(21,646 posts)zbdent
(35,392 posts)non-union employees in some cases. The key was, "how quickly the union would move to help the defense of the non-union employee" ...
duffyduff
(3,251 posts)lunasun
(21,646 posts)in the religion clauses of the 1st Amendment hmmmm would think a teacher might know this but guess not
Sure knows how to bully immigrants and tell them where to go though
You are an American, and you are supposed to salute the flag, she said, turning to the class. In my classroom, everyone will do the pledge; no religion says that you cant do the pledge.
Wow a Theology and Constitution wiz of a teacher
MissMillie
(38,553 posts)sort blows the whole idea of a "free country" right out of the water, doesn't it.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)throws words like liberty and freedom around without having the faintest idea what they mean. She should have gotten fired and I hope they are able to move this child out her class.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)There's no overlap.