SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Though many public schools in the country continue to treat standing as the pledge as cumpulsory, the U.S. Supreme Court has said forcing students to do so is a violation of their constitutionally-protected rights. The court, as the ACLU explains in an on-line manual directed at students, "has held that it is just as much a violation of your First Amendment rights for the government to make you say something you don't want to say as it is for the government to prevent you from saying what you do want to say." (Photo: U.S. Air Force/flickr/cc)
Teacher on Leave After Allegedly Assaulting Student Who Refused to Stand for Pledge of Allegiance
All students, the U.S. Supreme Court has stated, "have a right to remain silently seated during the pledge."
Feb 03, 2018
A teacher in Colorado this week was suspended after it was alleged that she assaulted a young child who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance--a troubling example of educators who refuse to acknowledge that students have the right to refuse participation in the daily ritual still found in many U.S. schools.
"In a republic, the people should not pledge allegiance to the government; the government should pledge allegiance to the people."
According to CBS News:
A teacher with Colorado's Boulder Valley School District was placed on paid administrative leave following an alleged incident at the middle school, the school district said Thursday. CBS Denver confirmed the Lafayette Police Department is investigating reports that teacher allegedly assaulted a student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Karen Smith, [the school's] physical education teacher, was placed on leave Thursday.
The school's principal, Mike Medina, sent a letter home to parents Thursday evening notifying them there had been an "incident" involving Smith but said he could not elaborate.
Last year, as Splinter News reported at the time, a teacher in New Jersey was suspended after he bragged about failing students who refused to participate in the pledge.
"They refused to stand, saying 'they didn't have to[.]' I told them that is true and that what makes this country great is 'that I didn't have to pass them either,'" Steven Solomon, the teacher, confessed. He was later suspended for his actions.
Though many public schools in the country continue to treat standing as the pledge as compulsory, the U.S. Supreme Court has said forcing students to do so is a violation of their constitutionally-protected rights. The court, as the ACLU explains in an on-line manual directed at students, "has held that it is just as much a violation of your First Amendment rights for the government to make you say something you don't want to say as it is for the government to prevent you from saying what you do want to say." All students, the civil liberties group says, "have a right to remain silently seated during the pledge."
In a 2009 column that appeared on Common Dreams, entitled 'The Pledge of Allegiance Is Un-American," Michael Lind put it this way: "In a republic, the people should not pledge allegiance to the government; the government should pledge allegiance to the people."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A teacher in Colorado this week was suspended after it was alleged that she assaulted a young child who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance--a troubling example of educators who refuse to acknowledge that students have the right to refuse participation in the daily ritual still found in many U.S. schools.
"In a republic, the people should not pledge allegiance to the government; the government should pledge allegiance to the people."
According to CBS News:
A teacher with Colorado's Boulder Valley School District was placed on paid administrative leave following an alleged incident at the middle school, the school district said Thursday. CBS Denver confirmed the Lafayette Police Department is investigating reports that teacher allegedly assaulted a student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Karen Smith, [the school's] physical education teacher, was placed on leave Thursday.
The school's principal, Mike Medina, sent a letter home to parents Thursday evening notifying them there had been an "incident" involving Smith but said he could not elaborate.
Last year, as Splinter News reported at the time, a teacher in New Jersey was suspended after he bragged about failing students who refused to participate in the pledge.
"They refused to stand, saying 'they didn't have to[.]' I told them that is true and that what makes this country great is 'that I didn't have to pass them either,'" Steven Solomon, the teacher, confessed. He was later suspended for his actions.
Though many public schools in the country continue to treat standing as the pledge as compulsory, the U.S. Supreme Court has said forcing students to do so is a violation of their constitutionally-protected rights. The court, as the ACLU explains in an on-line manual directed at students, "has held that it is just as much a violation of your First Amendment rights for the government to make you say something you don't want to say as it is for the government to prevent you from saying what you do want to say." All students, the civil liberties group says, "have a right to remain silently seated during the pledge."
In a 2009 column that appeared on Common Dreams, entitled 'The Pledge of Allegiance Is Un-American," Michael Lind put it this way: "In a republic, the people should not pledge allegiance to the government; the government should pledge allegiance to the people."
A teacher in Colorado this week was suspended after it was alleged that she assaulted a young child who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance--a troubling example of educators who refuse to acknowledge that students have the right to refuse participation in the daily ritual still found in many U.S. schools.
"In a republic, the people should not pledge allegiance to the government; the government should pledge allegiance to the people."
According to CBS News:
A teacher with Colorado's Boulder Valley School District was placed on paid administrative leave following an alleged incident at the middle school, the school district said Thursday. CBS Denver confirmed the Lafayette Police Department is investigating reports that teacher allegedly assaulted a student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Karen Smith, [the school's] physical education teacher, was placed on leave Thursday.
The school's principal, Mike Medina, sent a letter home to parents Thursday evening notifying them there had been an "incident" involving Smith but said he could not elaborate.
Last year, as Splinter News reported at the time, a teacher in New Jersey was suspended after he bragged about failing students who refused to participate in the pledge.
"They refused to stand, saying 'they didn't have to[.]' I told them that is true and that what makes this country great is 'that I didn't have to pass them either,'" Steven Solomon, the teacher, confessed. He was later suspended for his actions.
Though many public schools in the country continue to treat standing as the pledge as compulsory, the U.S. Supreme Court has said forcing students to do so is a violation of their constitutionally-protected rights. The court, as the ACLU explains in an on-line manual directed at students, "has held that it is just as much a violation of your First Amendment rights for the government to make you say something you don't want to say as it is for the government to prevent you from saying what you do want to say." All students, the civil liberties group says, "have a right to remain silently seated during the pledge."
In a 2009 column that appeared on Common Dreams, entitled 'The Pledge of Allegiance Is Un-American," Michael Lind put it this way: "In a republic, the people should not pledge allegiance to the government; the government should pledge allegiance to the people."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.