The debate over saying the Pledge of Allegiance in schools has come to the forefront in recent years. A 6th grade student in Florida found himself at the center of this debate following his arrest for refusing to stand for the pledge, as well as the confrontation that followed.
The student is an 11-year-old boy who attends Lawton Chiles Middle Academy in Lakeview, Florida. On February 4th, a substitute teacher engaged in dialogue with the student when he refused to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s important to note that school policy does not require students to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Substitute teacher Ana Alvarez questioned the student about his reasoning. During the conversation, the student reportedly told the substitute that he felt the American flag was a racist symbol.
Alvarez continued to ask the student why he didn’t consider living elsewhere if America was so bad. He referred to being brought here, but it was unclear by who. The teacher explained that she would do the same if she felt unwelcome. According to Rolling Stone, she said, “Well, you can always go back, because I came here from Cuba and the day I feel I’m not welcome here anymore I would find another place to live.” She then called the office because she no longer wanted to deal with the conversation she was engaging in with the student.
The situation escalated from there, leading to the student’s arrest after he allegedly said “Suspend me! I don’t care. This school is racist.” The arrest affidavit also claims the boy threatened harm to the school resource officer, principal, and substitute teacher, a claim his mother denies. The student was ultimately suspended for three days and opted to switch to a private school.
This isn’t the first time a teacher and student have had a confrontation over standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Last year, a different teacher was charged with child abuse after forcing a student to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Check out the video for that story.
Source : https://www.littlethings.com/sixth-grader-arrested-refusing-stand-pledge-allegiance/