California Teen Gets Her Grades Lowered Because She Didn’t Stand For Pledge Of Allgiance
A California high school student who declined to stand during the pledge of allegiance has had points knocked off of her grade for her act of protest, KXTV (Sacramento) is reporting.
Leilani Thomas says her teacher at Lower Lake High School took exception to her choice to remain seated during the pledge and, as a punishment, knocked a few points off of her participation grade.
“She told me I was being disrespectful and I was pretty mad. She was being disrespectful to me also, saying I was making bad choices, and I don’t have the choice to sit during the pledge.”
I stand with Leilani Thomas and friend who exercise their right to not say the Pledge of Allegiance. https://t.co/WfxIgenZZV
— Larry Sheehy (@Ecopalooza) September 14, 2016
You may be thinking that Leilani is taking a page out of the playbook of Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback whose refusal to stand for the national anthem has touched off something of a movement among pro athletes to do the same. But, in fact, Leilani says she’s been sitting for the pledge of allegiance ever since she was in second grade. The Native American girl says she made that decision after she learned about the difficult history between Native Americans and the American government.
“My mom and my dad brought up what it meant to us and our people. So I just started sitting down.”
It bears noting that, as of this writing, Leilani’s teacher, who has not been identified, has not given her side of the story.
Konocti School District Superintendent Donna Becne says that the law is on Leilani’s side, and she’s standing (so to speak) behind her student.
“They have the same rights when they walk into the schoolhouse than anybody else does.”
In case you were wondering, the Supreme Court did, in fact, rule in 1943 that kids in public schools cannot be compelled to participate in the pledge of allegiance, according to the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”
As it turns out, some school officials seem to have not gotten that memo, 70 years later.
As the Inquisitr reported last week, a teacher in Illinois was disciplined for trying to force a student to stand for the pledge of allegiance. Kelly Porter says that her 15-year-old son, Shemar Cooper, was “a little disrespectful” when his teacher asked him why he remained seated during the pledge and replied, “America sucks.” But she says that what happened a few days later, when he refused, again, to stand for the pledge was completely unacceptable. She says the female teacher tried to force him out of his chair, an action that even her superintendent thought that was out of line. The school district apologized and confirmed that the teacher was disciplined in some way that hasn’t been made clear.
“I am very happy with the outcome, and what this tells me is my son’s First Amendment right was definitely violated. I’m grateful that the teacher was reprimanded, suspended, because it sends a message to other schools that you cannot violate children’s First Amendment right and get away with it.”
Back in California, Leilani Thomas has been moved to another classroom with a different teacher. She says she fully intends to continue sitting for the pledge of allegiance.
[Featured Image by tobkatrina/Shutterstock]
