11-year-old Florida boy arrested for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance

[Judi Lynn]

Source: 11-year-old Florida boy arrested for refusing to s

GWENDOLYN SMITH, THE NEW CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
17 FEB 2019 AT 16:06 ET

An 11-year-old at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeland, Florida was arrested and removed from class after a substitute teacher demanded the student recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

The teacher, who was filling in on February 4, asked her sixth-grade class to stand and recite the pledge, but the student refused, reportedly telling the substitute teacher that the flag was racist, and adding that the National Anthem was offensive to black people.

The substitute challenged the boy, saying in a statement to the district that she told the student, “Why if it was so bad here he did not go to another place to live?”

He answered, saying, “they brought me here.”

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2019/02/11-year-old-florida-boy-arrested-refusing-stand-pledge-allegiance/?utm_source=push_notifications

[Make7]

1. Surely arresting this child demonstrates the freedoms that make this country great. ( n/t )

[Xipe Totec]

8. Bingo! nt

[Scurrilous]

2. Kid sounds a whole lot smarter than the substitute teacher.

[politicaljunkie41910]

26. No he doesn't, and I blame his mother for his attitude. I guess we know who runs that home.

That's the problem these days. Parents who are afraid to parent their children. Yes the substitute teacher could have handled the situation better, so as not to allow the child to disrupt the entire class, but parents need to teach their children that when they are in school, the Teacher is in charge and the child is to follow his/her directions, even if they disagrees with them at the time.

What other rules does that child get to decide for himself at home whether or not he's going to follow or not? This is particularly a problem if he's a young black man. The police are not going to just ignore him if he doesn't obey their commands on the street. His mother is doing him an injustice by allowing him to disrespect authority, and if she doesn't get a handle on things soon, one of these days, she's going to be crying real tears. With classroom sizes around 40 students, teachers don't have time for 40 children's opinions on what they want to do at any given moment. And those children who are respectful of authority don't deserve to have their class time disrupted by those who don't.

“My son was arrested in front of his classmates,” the boy’s mom, Dhakira Talbot, said as she wiped away tears. ... Talbot said her son normally doesn't stand for the pledge, but last week he had a substitute teacher who instructed him to stand up. According to the arrest report, the boy told the sub he wouldn't stand "because the flag of this country is racist."

As a black woman myself, and one of 9 children growing up in Los Angeles, we were taught to respect and obey authority, because our parents wanted us to make it back home in one piece. Our responsibility was to obey the rules, and our parents would take care of making sure the teachers were enforcing the rules in a fair and honest way. As the parents of 3 adult children myself, I taught my children the same thing because I didn't want any of my children to become just another statistic.

I have over the years had many relatives, friends, and neighbors who are teachers and this child's attitude is typical of a lot of children and parent's attitudes today. Teachers have a very hard job to do and what they need is the parent's support, not their apathy.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

28. I fail to understand why you're blaming this child

Or by extension his mother, when it is the teacher you should be criticizing.

THERE IS NO LAW IN THIS COUNTRY THAT DEMANDS ANYONE STAND FOR THE FLAG.

And I should think that a teacher should at least know what the effing laws are if she's going to go into a classroom, and present herself as an "authority."

This country was created by challenging authority, or have you forgotten history ?

Simply because someone is in a position of "authority" does not mean that they are correct or lawful. Two words: donald trump.

Your criticism is at best, misplaced, at worse, misguided.

And before you come back at me about authority, know this: I'm retired from the military after a long, distinguished, decorated and cherished career.

[politicaljunkie41910]

47. I stated very clearly what my opinion was. You're welcome to your own. When my kids were growing

up it was more important to me that they were safe, than right. When a black person challenges authority in this country, and the police are involved, they don't always live to tell about it. As I stated previously, it was mine and my husband's job to determine whether our children's teachers were being fair to them. After all, our job was preparing them for life, and life is not always "FAIR". Our job was to ensure that they had the tools they needed to succeed in life. How you raise your children is your business.

We were very active in our children's schooling and if they had a problem they knew that if they felt they were being treated unfairly, we would be there to stand up for them, and stand by them. But we insisted that they respect authority, whomever that was at the time. Because there is always going to someone in their lives who they are accountable to. I make no apologies for that fact. My three kids are all grown up now. They are all college graduates. They have hood jobs. They have families of their own. They've never been in trouble with the law. They respect us as their parents and they're raising their own children with the same values they were raised with.

I can't say the same about some of their classmates, their sports teammates, or some of their friends in the neighborhood they grew up in, which was a middle/upper middle class suburban neighborhood. Many did not fair as well as mine and that was because IMHO, their parents were too permissive, and didn't require that they respect authority; any authority including their parents. I can't tell you how many of my kids friends/classmates died in high school, but they went to more funerals than any teen should have had to experience. But those kids that died had too many things, too much money, and too little respect for their parents or what they said or thought. Kids need to learn at a very early age that everyone is answerable to someone. If they believe at age 11 that they run their house, they probably do.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

62. You fail to respond to my point:

The teacher was WRONG. Her authority lacked support for the LAW.

Blind obedience is WRONG and unsupported by the LAW.

If she had told the boy to do something dangerous or injurious to himself, would you support that just because she was in a position of authority ?

[Rorey]

83. I understand that the most important factor is safety

I understand what you're saying. It might be a leap to suggest that this was a case of the 11 year old running the household (if that's what you were doing).

Whatever the case, I'm so happy that it didn't escalate even further. The teacher was most certainly wrong, and the 11 year old shouldn't have made a threat to beat the teacher. A well-trained law enforcement officer should have attempted to deescalate the situation instead of taking what appears to be a shortcut of arresting the child.

I'm glad that the mother of this child just has to plan for court instead of planning for his funeral. This is a complicated situation and I hope it's a learning experience for everyone involved.

I'll just add, you sound like you're a great parent.

[Grokenstein]

29. Immediately after that quoted portion of the article:

“She told my son to go back to his homeland,” Talbot said. “He was confused. He said, ‘What do you mean? Africa?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’" ... That's when it escalated.

Yeah, nobody should kowtow to THAT sort of "authority."

Given his subsequent public behavior, it's a pretty fair bet Zimmerman was going to murder Treyvon Martin the moment he saw him. But at least Martin got to kick Zimmerman's ass a little bit first, instead of surrendering to his imaginary "authority" and being slaughtered like a sheep.

[politicaljunkie41910]

34. Your analogy comparing an 11 yr old child telling a teacher what he does and doesn't do to Zimmerman

is just foolish.

[wellst0nev0ter]

45. You justifying this arrest

shames the rest of us.

[rzemanfl]

80. Bookmarking. n/t

[Grokenstein]

103. I was comparing the kid to Trayvon Martin, not Zimmerman

...which I would have thought would have been obvious.

[yardwork]

98. The substitute teacher should be fired for blatant racism.

Telling an African American child to "go back to your homeland" is pure racism.

Ironically, this is exactly why people are not standing for the pledge or national anthem. This country needs to get control of our deeply embedded institutional racism.

The substitute teacher's behavior proved this child's point.

[Major Nikon]

40. Nobody has to give up their first amendment rights at the threshold of the schoolhouse

The ACLU is already taking action on this and they will most certainly prevail.

[3Hotdogs]

41. Tinker v. DeMoine

Neither students nor teachers lose their rights at the school house door.

[delisen]

48. The Bill of Rights is an integral part of our Constitution.Free Speech is a paramount value

It has to be exercised for our country to be free country

Learning comes before teaching. The substitute teacher did not educate herself before entering that class to teach.

[Smackdown2019]

51. He is an American, not a 1935 German boy who failed to salute!

When someone who has authority and abuses that authority onto others; shall be charged for violating constitutional rights. That substitute knew what she was doing, after all she had to take a constitutional exam for high school graduation.

It's a constitutional right not do any pledge, for it Grant's that right. That substitute must of been a trumper and was forcing Trump's belief onto a six grader.

Frankly, if I was that substitute or teacher and if that child chooses not to recite, I would not of said anything until later. Then would of ask, not condone. To be a good teacher, you develop a relationship with the students, not be the Gestapo. Then educate the child about respect and develop that student into a good citizen.

[Honeycombe8]

55. I have to agree with you on this one. It's different for a student in school.

They have some rules, and standing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance is a pretty basic one. It teaches a child respect for authority, and the importance of not being disruptive to a class.

There is a time and place for everything, but school is a time for learning, not just subjects, but many things.

He can make those choices, when he's an adult, or at least older.

It's different when you're an adult NFL player. That's not a minor in school. But he shouldn't be arrested, for gosh sakes. Sent to detention, maybe.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

61. Standing for the pledge of allegiance DOES NOT

teach a child to respect authority, or how to behave in class.

Where is there ANY research that backs up that ludicrous claim ?

If anything, it forces upon a child the notion that an effing flag is more important that people's constitutional rights. In this country, people are permitted to wear the flag, burn the flag and make art out of the flag. That is a constitutional right. Look it up.

EIGHT MILLION JEHOVAH'S WITNESS DO NOT SALUTE THE FLAG.

OVER 200,000 AMISH DO NOT STAND FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM.

ONE BLACK MAN KNEELS RESPECTFULLY IN SILENCE, AND ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

NOW YOU KNOW WHY HE'S KNEELING.

An 11 year old child obviously knows why HE chose to remain seated.

[Honeycombe8]

64. Your disagreement is noted.

Kaepernik's situation is not applicable. He was an adult in a work environment.

JWs and Amish have religious prohibitions...not applicable.

A child is in the process of being taught to respect authority, do things for the good of the group...up to a point. His brain isn't fully formed. He couldn't even tell the teacher why he wasn't standing. It's even possible it was to seek attention, which is not unheard of among children.

If I'd been the teacher, and if the school didn't require it, I would have let it go, probably.

An 11 year old child doesn't choose almost anything. He can't. He's a child. He is in the process of being taught. If he doesn't learn to choose his battles as he grows up, he'll have trouble in the work place...disobeying his bosses, not getting along with co-workers. Once he's learned that, and gets older, he'll be in more of a position to protest at work.

Just my opinion. You have yours.

[markpkessinger]

70. This incident taught this student nothing about respecting authority . . .

. . . and authority ONLY merits respect when it was legitimately exercised, which was not the case here. The teacher was demanding this kid do something which the Supreme Court long ago forbade. What's more, raising a child to respect authority that is invalidly wielded will not teach this kid anything at all about resisting, as an adult, in the event his rights are being violated. On the contrary, it will teach him to be like a passive little lamb being led to slaughter. And as for everyone being entitled to their own opinions, a Supreme Court decision is not a matter of anybody's "opinion" -- it is the law of the land, period.

Your attitude is one I expect to find in a Republican, not a Democrat.

[ProfessorGAC]

74. I Get Your Point, But...

...is it the school's job to teach respect for authority?
On top of that, a sub has this responsibility?

[myohmy2]

69. +1

...

[Pachamama]

78. +100000

When I moved to the United States from Germany when I was young, I was bewildered at this requirement in a US public school. Even though I had a US passport and was a citizen with dual citizenship in Germany. So, I too refused because it went against the beliefs I had and was against what I had been taught in Germany as a child and also confused me as it seemed to be something maybe required of the military and went against first amendment rights.

I was never arrested or reprimanded. But I am white and blonde.

[Sgent]

65. Standing for the Pledge

in a classroom was decided by the supreme court almost 80 years ago. Students cannot be required to take the pledge.

[Honeycombe8]

85. I did not know this.

That changes everything, of course.

Thanks for your informative post that doesn't personally attack me, unlike others.

[Codeine]

75. That is absolute madness.

It’s settled Constitutional law that students are not required to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance under any circumstance. No student can be required to do so or be punished for refusing. They do not need to give a reason, they do not need special permission; it is merely their right.

This is not about demonstrating respect for authority, because the school and its employees do not have the authority in this situation, period.

If a teacher tells my kid to stop talking in class that’s fine. If she is asked to write a book report, sit in her assigned seat, show up at a certain time, raise her hand to ask a question, or produce a hall pass while outside during a class period those are all reasonable exertions of authority and fall well within the normal purview of expected student behavior. To follow these rules is demonstrative of respect for reasonable and lawful authority.

However, demanding a student stand and verbally pledge their allegiance to a symbol they do not perceive as being appropriate is not reasonable, and the Supreme Court has agreed.

I stopped standing for the Pledge in junior high, not for any well-considered political reason, not because of a deeply-held religious belief, but just because I thought it was a really stupid ritual and I didn’t like doing things for no other reason than we had to do them. No teacher ever gave me shit for that. This young man had a much more compelling, much more meaningful and heartfelt reason to refuse and he was fucking ARRESTED for doing so! For exercising his basic Constitutional right to free expression! And now a poster at a nominally progressive discussion board has the audacity to defend this abusive and patently unlawful action?!

As I said above; madness. Absolute madness, bordering on insanity.

[Honeycombe8]

84. I don't respond to personally insulting posts. Placed on ignore.

Come back when you learn to discuss something without personal attacks.

[Codeine]

86. Im wounded. nt

[Honeycombe8]

87. You're welcome.

As an adult, I didn't try to get your post removed.

Can't say that in all the years I've posted here, I've called another poster insane or bordering on madness. Because I can discuss things rationally, like an adult.

The worst thing a poster can get, though, is to be ignored. Not worthy of even being read.

I'm placing you on ignore now. Goodbye. You're welcome. Your post was not alerted on. Maybe you can learn from this to discuss things without personal attacks. I hope so.

[Codeine]

89. The niggling detail you ignore

is that I didn’t call you either of those things, merely pointed out the absolute folly of your statement. But you do you, fam.

[LanternWaste]

97. As an adult, you should be aware of the relevant difference

As an adult, you should also be aware of the relevant difference between a statement being called insane versus a person being called insane.

One more thing to "learn from this..." I'd imagine.

[obamanut2012]

90. It is settled case law that a student cannot be compelled to stand for the Pledge.

It does not teach respect or anything else, it teaches a child to accept Nationalism.

[politicaljunkie41910]

102. I appreciate your being a voice of reason. FTR, I didn't concur with an 11 y.o.child being arrested.

As you stated, teaching your child respect for authority is not a bad thing, but many people took offense to the word authority. I also received a message stating an alert was being sent to report me regarding my comment on the basis that it was intended to disrupt. I know I'm getting up there in age, but I don't know when the word authority became a bad word.

[MarvinGardens]

59. Disagree in this case.

Respect authority, yes, but this does not mean to not question. And it certainly does not mean that you 100% obey in all cases. And if you disagree with that last point, are you saying there is literally nothing you would refuse to do, if an authority figure told you to do it? And would you have your minor children do anything, literally anything, that an authority figure asked them to do? As a parent, I do not advise this level of obediance in all situations.

I really could not disagree with you more in this case.

[ArizonaLib]

66. He wasn't interfering with anything

The substitute interrupted the entire morning. I hope the arresting officer also gets fired. The arresting officer had no business arresting the kid for anything the article shows he said or did. When I was 11 I knew racism when I saw it. If the kid is no longer in custody, then he won, like he said he did.

Good for him. This next election is going to be an epic Democratic power shift and those racist Republicans are going to have to live with it.

[Mr. Frost]

68. I get where this is coming from.

Finally read the whole thing. People are getting more ansy by the day when it comes to race, religion, etc. Only to find that it may bring more questions, just like the EMPIRE incident. This part of the article may bring those questions because we don't know what really went down.

According to the arrest report, the boy refused to follow multiple commands, and called staff members of the school “racist.” He was reported to also have threatened to get both the principal and the resource officer fired from their jobs, and that he would beat the teacher. The latter claim the boy and his mother, Dhakira Talbot, disputes.

[obamanut2012]

92. Good, he did the right thing and was right

He will get his college paid for now.

It was illegal and unconstitutional to treat him this way re: the Pledge.

[Mr. Frost]

93. The teacher was in the wrong, no doubt.

Still, gotta ask if this was really why the kid was arrested. The story did take note of other charges of his arrest besides not standing for the pledge like overall, unruly behavior. No one outside the school knows if he did or didn't threaten the teacher with violence, and threatening to get the principal fired. Overall at this stage of the game, the jury is out.

[meadowlander]

96. This is 100% on the teacher

for making a non-issue an issue and failing to respect the kid's right to freedom of expression.

Kids should not be taught to be blindly obedient but to think for themselves as long as they can do it in a respectful and reasoned way.

The teacher was not showing him any respect and was obviously racist. That's where people need to stand up for themselves and where we need to have their backs when they do.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

4. That adult missed a great teaching opportunity

[mcar]

5. My son refused to stand for it

His last 2 years of HS. Long story for reason. I looked into it and let FL statute, arresting that child is completely illegal.

[underpants]

9. I was wondering what the charge could

disrupting a school function and resisting an officer without violence

From post #6 below

[TheBlackAdder]

36. Sitting is not disruptive, and the officer wouldn't be a factor if they weren't made a factor.

[Codeine]

76. I stopped standing late in the 8th grade.

I just thought it was stupid. This kid had a much better reason than I did and I applaud his steadfastness in the face of injustice.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Here is a local account of the incident:

Last edited Sun Feb 17, 2019, 08:13 PM - Edit history (1)

LOCAL

Student arrested for disrupting class after refusing to stand for Pledge of Allegiance

The boy's mother said her 11-year-old son normally doesn't stand for the pledge, but last week he had a substitute teacher, who instructed him to stand up

Author: Grady Trimble
Published: 9:57 PM EST February 15, 2019
Updated: 11:09 PM EST February 15, 2019

LAKELAND, Fla. — A middle schooler is facing charges after an argument with his teacher. ... An 11-year-old student at Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeland refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, and the teacher confronted him over it, according to an arrest report.

“My son was arrested in front of his classmates,” the boy’s mom, Dhakira Talbot, said as she wiped away tears. ... Talbot said her son normally doesn't stand for the pledge, but last week he had a substitute teacher who instructed him to stand up. According to the arrest report, the boy told the sub he wouldn't stand "because the flag of this country is racist."

“She told my son to go back to his homeland,” Talbot said. “He was confused. He said, ‘What do you mean? Africa?’ She said, ‘Yeah.’" ... That's when it escalated. The teacher called the main office. A school resource officer and the school's dean showed up.

According to the arrest report, the child initially refused to leave but eventually relented. The report says the boy cried and screamed, "I'm going to beat that teacher," and "I'm going to get all of you fired." The boy's mom doesn't believe that story. ... “He was being treated like he did something wrong when he's the victim,” she said. ... The student was charged with disrupting a school function and resisting an officer without violence, which are misdemeanors.
....

[mcar]

10. They arrested an 11 YO boy for that?

I hope the family she's the police dept too.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. Unfortunately this is how they criminalize black children

We have seen many stories over the past 15 years including arrests of children as young as 5 and 6. Nowadays it doesn't take much to call the cops as we've seen the past year with all the nonsense 911 calls.

[mcar]

14. Cops should know better

[progressoid]

18. EVERYONE in that school should know better.

[mcar]

19. Yes!

[BumRushDaShow]

20. It's deeper than that

That is why Tamir Rice is no longer alive.

There is a sickness in the country and it will take time to heal.

[mcar]

21. You are right, BRDS

Every time I think of that beautiful child my heart breaks a bit more.

[forgotmylogin]

27. She TOLD HIM TO GO BACK TO HIS HOMELAND?

I know someone who's not getting called to sub anymore.

[TheBlackAdder]

38. It's Florida, her teaching dance card will be filled for the next 10 tears! :-D

[yardwork]

99. Yep. And the child was arrested. Proved this child's point.

[Beowulf42]

39. The usual program

is that someone is given an illegal order, knows he or she doesn't have to obey, get arrested or worse, gunned down, as a result of being right. Unfortunately in most school systems, the district has no real substitute training. I just took a three hour test to qualify for subbing, and there were no question or training in well-established law as it pertains to student rights in the school setting. I would bet that many if not most teachers have any idea about the rights and expectations the exist for the student.

[LiberalFighter]

54. It would seem to me that the teacher was the one disrupting the class.

[markpkessinger]

71. "Resisting an officer without violence' . . .

. . . Now that's a bullshit charge if ever I heard one!

[B Stieg]

7. It's his RIGHT!

Sue the bejeebus out of 'em, kid.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. He answered, saying, "they brought me here."

Unfortunately there are a large number of dense white folk (and others) who don't get this whole concept while they yell "Go back to Africa!!111!!!" or "Why did your family come here?" (or equivalent).

They won't teach it properly in the schools - where you now see the latest bullshit about slaves now being "indentured servants" - and when called out on it, it then devolves into stuff like "identity politics" and "we don't see color because we are color blind" (which IMHO marginalizes people who really are medically "color blind" ) and other nonsense.

Gotta just whip out the trusty image that speaks a thousand words and is not "fake news" -

[Pachamama]

79. Those images make me so sick to my stomach

The evil that was done....

[samnsara]

12. hope the kid gets a really good lawyer!

[EarthFirst]

15. More fodder for the next episode of The Two Minutes Hate. nt

[TNNurse]

16. Arresting a child in a school

where no one was injured should make it clear that the administration is completely inadequate. Any teacher, administrator or other staff who were involved need to fire for gross incompetence. They are also assholes.

I would also like to see the law that makes standing and saying the pledge is MANDATORY.

[mcar]

22. There is no law

[TNNurse]

24. I was most certain of that.

[mcar]

57. Seems they make their own here sometimes

[A DAY IN THE LIFE]

88. Wrong

Florida does have a law. It requires all students stand and recite the Pledge. Only a parent, in writing, can eclude the child from the exercise.

I have no reason why this law has not been challenged. It would not withstand a challenge. But as I said it hasn't been challenged in court.

I used to teach here in Florida. I never required a student to stand, and I could have been fired for that. I would tell them that I cannot make you stand, but I should can require you to be quiet.

State Code: "The pledge of allegiance to the flag shall be recited at the beginning of the day in each public elementary, middle, and high school in the state. Each student shall be informed by a written notice published in the student handbook or a similar publication pursuant to s. 1006.07(2) that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge. Upon written request by his or her parent, the student must be excused from reciting the pledge, including standing and placing the right hand over his or her heart. When the pledge is given, unexcused students must show full respect to the flag by standing at attention,"

[mcar]

91. That is completely unconstitutional

When I checked into it, I was told that the statute said students could be required to stand but not recite. Guess I got wrong information. But that is ridiculous.

[dameatball]

17. A family member is a lawyer in Lakeland, but I suspect this young person will have many choices.

[Stuart G]

23. Good by principal.....forever...never get another job...

Arresting...over a minor incident, no matter what ?..Now there is a story, but it is up to the school board to decide if the principal was correct "with the arrest." So many ways to deal with this...other than "arrest."

Well.............stupid is, what stupid is................and the principal is ......stupid, actually stupider than the substitute teacher...much stupider

[DallasNE]

25. I Found One - One Of Those Teachers

Donald Trump Jr. described as being a "loser". Right there in Lakeland, Florida.

[Turbineguy]

30. If there's one thing that scares these crackers

it's a gifted dark-skinned boy.

[wellst0nev0ter]

46. Teacher's actually a Cuban Batistano

You know, one of the immigrant groups preferred by the trumpanzees.

[Desert grandma]

31. Hard to understand this.

There were many other ways the teacher could have handled this. I have been a substitute teacher and it should have been a no- brainer to allow the kid to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance. This escalation was not warranted. I hope the family gets a great attorney and that the school district will have to PAY for this kid to go to a different (maybe private) school. While I understand the post above regarding children needing to respect authority, this sub seemed to be on a power trip when she made such a big deal out of a situation that she allowed to get out of control. After all, she was the adult, supposedly.

[CaptYossarian]

32. There goes another promising NFL career.

In Trump's Florida, was the flag Russian?

BTW, Lawton Chiles was a good politician. At the soon-to-be-named Rick Scott Academy, the protesting child will be drawn and quartered.

[democrank]

33. Arrest an 11-year old for not pledging allegiance?

And the substitute teacher asked why he didn’t go live somewhere else?

It’s true....war IS peace.

[JohnnyRingo]

35. Not arrested for refusing to recite the pledge

That was just the unnecessary beginning of the problem. The title would be less misleading if it read that he "was arrested after refusing to stand...".

Apparently the boy was arrested for being difficult for the resource officer, still a chickenshit charge. The conservative argument for reinstating the pledge since it was banished is that those who didn't want to participate can just remain quietly in their seat. I see how well that's working out already.

and charges dropped in ...5, 4, 3, 2, 1

[rockfordfile]

49. The substitute teacher should be arrested. Get rid of the pledge bs.

[JohnnyRingo]

53. Clearly she doesn't relate well to students

...to say the least.

I would think that's a prerequisite for the job.

[moonseller66]

37. misdemeanors?

The student was charged with disrupting a school function and resisting an officer without violence, which are misdemeanors.

Wow! That kid is lucky he wasn't impeached! (/s in case it's needed)

About the impeachment thing...that damn piece of paper says "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Misdemeanors? You mean like a parking ticket or jaywalking or disorderly charges or lying to those in power be it fed, state local, police or whatever? I'm reasonably sure the idiot-in-charge could be charged with more than one or two "misdemeanors."
And that may include is manservant, Pence-for-hire.

Sadly that kid will probably never be able to run for class president! (again.../s)

[Stuart G]

43. I was a teacher in a high school, permanently appointed..

And a student said,,,
...:Fuck You" to the teacher....Now is that worse than not standing for the flag???

We had a conference with the student...just a conference,(the student, me and the administrator in charge of discipline.. and the student said, "I am sorry.."
and you know, that was enough for me..
..A couple of the students, decided to let a mouse loose in the class..and instead of loosing my cool, I said, he did not enroll in this class and we found a way to pick him up and throw him out the window. No..it was a first floor window, and the mouse ran away. We did not kill the mouse...no.
..So many other stories to tell. After a while, you either learn what is really important, or you don't make it. Maybe I will tell some more stories... not today..

[KY_EnviroGuy]

44. Case still has to play out, but here's a bit of clarity from a local source....

Last edited Tue Feb 19, 2019, 10:35 PM - Edit history (1)

Lakeland 11-year-old arrested for confrontation after refusal to stand for Pledge
By Kimberly C. Moore @KMooreTheLedger
Posted Feb 15, 2019 at 6:08 PM Updated Feb 16, 2019 at 5:46 AM

Read more: https://www.theledger.com/news/20190215/lakeland-11-year-old-arrested-for-confrontation-after-refusal-to-stand-for-pledge
(snips)

Polk County Public Schools spokesman Kyle Kennedy said the sixth-grader “was arrested after becoming disruptive and refusing to follow repeated instructions by school staff and law enforcement.” Kennedy said he wanted to make it clear that the student was not arrested for refusing to participate in the pledge.

“Students are not required to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance,” Kennedy said.

Gary Gross, a spokesman for the Lakeland Police Department, said he could not legally comment because the case involved a minor charged with a misdemeanor.
-----
District officials said the teacher’s name is Ana Alvarez. Kennedy said she was not aware of district policy regarding the pledge as voluntary.
-----
Kennedy said he could not discuss the student’s discipline. He said Alvarez will no longer serve as a substitute in Polk County Public Schools and that they will be reviewing their training policy with the outside agency that handles hiring substitute teachers. “Our HR department will contact Kelly Services, which provides our substitutes, to further refine how our substitutes are trained,” Kennedy said.

More should be announced about this case in coming days......

[alphafemale]

104. His rights were being violated.

Good for him.

You think tyranny should be responded to with meek obedience?

[dflprincess]

50. West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_Board_of_Education_v._Barnette

West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943), is a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment protects students from being forced to salute the American flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance in public school. The Court's 6–3 decision, delivered by Justice Robert H. Jackson, is remembered for its forceful defense of free speech and constitutional rights generally as being placed "beyond the reach of majorities and officials".

Barnette overruled a 1940 decision on the same issue, Minersville School District v. Gobitis, in which the Court stated that the proper recourse for dissent was to try to change the public school policy democratically. It was a significant court victory won by Jehovah's Witnesses, whose religion forbade them from saluting or pledging to symbols, including symbols of political institutions. However, the Court did not address the effect the compelled salutation and recital ruling had upon their particular religious beliefs but instead ruled that the state did not have the power to compel speech in that manner for anyone. In overruling Gobitis the Court primarily relied on the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment rather than the Free Exercise Clause.[1]

[Pachamama]

81. Thank you for posting...

[Nitram]

52. WTF?

Florida is now officially a fascist state.

[Darson]

56. Und so beginnt es...

(Well, technically, it's Россия прежде всего, but I think you get my drift.)

[YOHABLO]

58. First of all it was a substitute teacher. She needed to keep her trap shut. She's wasting class time

[pecosbob]

60. Sounds to me like Lakeland and that private school just paid for that kid's college education...

Every time Florida opens it's mouth, assholes fall out.

[efhmc]

63. The idiots who continue to defy the Constitution will help pay for his college expenses.

nt

[Mr. Frost]

67. Can someone tell me what a "resource officer" is?

[Bantamfancier]

72. Rent A Cop.

[Codeine]

77. In Florida they're actually sworn LEOs.

I think they have to have completed police academy training.

[MissMillie]

73. Teachers should encourage diversity

and stop practices that encourage "separateness."

Pledges, prayers and other practices that make any student feel like "other" should be discouraged.

[LogicFirst]

82. Authoritarian-itis

This sub needs to take a refresher course in class management and child psychology.

[McCamy Taylor]

94. Arrested????

[McCamy Taylor]

95. "They proved him right" My son's response to hearing this story.

Why should he pledge allegiance to a flag of a country that sends cops to arrest a kid for pointing out racism?

[yardwork]

100. EXACTLY.

[alphafemale]

101. I have not stood since about 2nd grade.

Only push back I got was from a 9th grade teacher who hauled me down to the office only to be told I did NOT need to stand for the Pledge.

Asshole did everything in his power to fail me after that.

[Juneboarder]

105. I might be late to the game here, but...

this "teacher" should be fired. What a tool!