New York Student Coerced To Say Pledge Of Allegiance
An Elmira student at Southside High complained that she was being forced to say the Pledge of Allegiance, even though she disagrees with the words “under God.”
“The first I have heard of any allegation such as this was in the letter sent to the district (Tuesday) from The Appignani Humanist Legal Center, indicating that a female sophomore had reported such a claim,” Elmira Superintendent Hillary Austin said in an emailWednesday…
The matter came to light on Tuesday when the American Humanist Association contacted media about the case via email, and included three-page letter on the student’s behalf also emailed that day to the attention of Austin and Southside Principal Christopher Krantz.
The association said the unidentified sophomore, who contacted them last week, is an atheist and objects to saying the phrase “under God” in the Pledge. In the letter, the association said the student told them she attempted to sit during the Pledge, but her homeroom teacher instructed her to stand and told her in front of classmates she was being “disrespectful to America and to military personnel.”…
David Niose, legal director of the association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center, said Tuesday, “This particular complaint is clear-cut. There is no doubt about it being a violation of the Constitution to not allow a child to opt out of the Pledge.”
William May 29th, 2014 at 9:02 am
In my little town
I grew up believing
God keeps his eye on us all
And He used to lean upon me
As I pledged allegiance to the wall
Paul Simon
John Boy May 29th, 2014 at 12:42 pm
The pledge of allegiance should be done away with. The US is probably one of the few countries in the world, other than North Korea and China, to require its citizens, especially children, to recite a pledge. When I was in elementary school, the teachers used to verbally assault and humiliate the Jehovah’s Witness kids in our class for refusing to recite the pledge. Naturally, the other kids took their cue from the teachers and made life living hell for those kids. My fourth grade teacher was the worst offender when it came to harassing and bullying the J.W. kids about the pledge. She was also the choir director at the local Presbyterian Church. She was highly regarded in the community as a fine, patriotic, Christian woman.
mdram May 29th, 2014 at 2:35 pm
That’s really crappy about the JW harrassment..
AnthonyLook May 29th, 2014 at 4:13 pm
No one should be forced to recite any pledge for any cause.