CA high school student punished for dropping ‘under God’ from Pledge of Allegiance

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Derek Giardina, 17, a student at West High School, said he was given detention and had points docked from his grade point average because he omitted the reference to God while fulfilling a class requirement that obliges students to lead the pledge 12 times every year.

Giardana, said he agreed to lead the pledge because it’s a requirement but would prefer to not recite it at all.

“I think it’s very wrong that you get disciplinary actions for thinking for yourself,” Giardana explained. “Personally I wouldn’t say the pledge at all, because I’m not necessarily very patriotic, and I’m not religious,”

Giardana admitted he had been warned after omitting the reference previously but still didn’t feel he should be punished for his religious beliefs.

“There’s something disciplinary happening because of my religious beliefs,” he said.

The school district is standing behind the administrators at West High saying that, while they respect everyone’s religious beliefs, if you lead the school in the pledge, it must be delivered in the traditional way.

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MORE: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/11/ca-high-school-student-punished-for-dropping-under-god-from-pledge-of-allegiance/

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