Carlisle school backs student's right to sit during Pledge, substitute dismissed for confronting him

[rug]

By Steve Marroni
on October 24, 2016 at 1:15 PM, updated October 24, 2016 at 1:17 PM

A high school student in Carlisle makes it a point to sit while his fellow students recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.

He has the right to do so, his classmates acknowledge, and many have been supportive of him doing so because of his objections to U.S. polices in the Middle East.

But that quiet support exploded in a barrage of social media postings on Friday when a substitute teacher berated the student, who is originally from Bosnia, for sitting.

Carlisle Area School District Superintendent John Friend Monday confirmed this incident occurred, adding the district acted quickly and removed the substitute teacher from the school.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/10/carlisle_pledge_allegiance_stu.html

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WeSitWithAdmir&src=typd

[niyad]

1. a school district acting rationally and sanely?? how utterly novel!! good for them

for supporting the student, and removing the actual problem-the teacher.

[rug]

2. Man bites dog.

[murielm99]

5. The actual problem

was not the sub, but the regular classroom teacher and the administrator, for not preparing the sub for the situation in the classroom. That is often the actual problem for subs. They are not always informed when students need medications, when students need to be separated for their safety or the safety of others. Subs are often left with no lesson plans, no keys, no way to access computers.

If the sub had acted in the opposite manner, he or she may have been dismissed for that, too.

[Goblinmonger]

8. As to this specific instance, if you are going to sub

you should probably learn that students don't give up this free speech right when they enter the school and you shouldn't bully them to say speech they don't want to.

Are subs treated poorly in a lot of districts? Of course. This instance was preventable by the sub not being a complete tool and understanding education law. Very basic education law.

[Jason1961]

3. Freedom of Speech

Funny how quickly people forget that Freedom of Speech includes speech they don't agree with.

I bet the excuse was related to "people died for your rights"

[stone space]

4. Um...no mandatory prayers in public schools. Case closed.

What could this substitute teacher possibly have been thinking?

[hvn_nbr_2]

6. I grew up in Carlisle: some more info

This story is even more impressive than it seems at first glance.

Carlisle is in a very conservative area, in one of the four PA counties (out of 66) that voted for Goldwater in 1964. But I learned my regard for civil liberties in Carlisle schools. I remember that when the Supreme Court ruled that officially organized and prescribed prayers in public schools were a no-go, the Carlisle schools immediately stopped them, without question or hesitation, even though much of the local populace were outraged by the ruling.

I'm so pleased to see CHS and the CHS students standing up for that student that way. Bravo to my old school.

[rug]

7. Heartening to hear.