• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegiance

Hatuey

Hatuey

Rule of Two
DP Veteran
Joined
Oct 17, 2006
Messages
59,331
Reaction score
26,992
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Undisclosed
Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegiance

A Florida teacher was suspended last month for forcing a fourth grader to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Anne Daigle-McDonald, a teacher at Explorer K-8 School in Spring Hill, Fla., made the student, a Jehovah's Witness, place his hand over his heart during the Sept. 11 pledge, according to a report by the Tampa Bay Times. (Jehovah's Witnesses are forbidden from worshiping objects — including the American flag.) When he resisted, she said, "You are an American, and you are supposed to salute the flag," the boy told a school administrator.

According to several students, Daigle-McDonald admonished the class the following day. "In my classroom, everyone will do the pledge; no religion says that you can't do the pledge," she said. "If you can't put your hand on your heart, then you need to move out of the country."
Click to expand...

How many want to be she's a protestant?
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

Hatuey said:
How many want to be she's a protestant?
Click to expand...

That has to be about the most irrelevant quip I've seen in a while.

Obviously she is an Obama supporter.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

I was forced to recite the pledge in kindergarten. Stupid suspension is stupid.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

joko104 said:
That has to be about the most irrelevant quip I've seen in a while.

Obviously she is an Obama supporter.
Click to expand...

She would have pledged allegiance to Obama, not The United States.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

RabidAlpaca said:
Funny, I got suspended for not standing for the Texas pledge in high school. Maybe I should've told them I was a jehovah's witness.
Click to expand...

We only did the American pledge when I was in Texas schools.

Personally I'd rather pledge my allegiance to Texas.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

I would prefer the teacher be fired.

Why just suspend?
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

apdst said:
She would have pledged allegiance to Obama, not The United States.
Click to expand...

oh here we go.....as I stated the last time this came up.....I was never taught the pledge so for a good while I was pledging allegiance to the Flag of the United States and to The Republic of Japan which never made sense since the Japanese were always the bad guys in movies, but I did it anyway because my kindergarten teacher could dislocate your neck with a single shake.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

digsbe said:
I was forced to recite the pledge in kindergarten. Stupid suspension is stupid.
Click to expand...

Yeah... not like religious based objection is protected or anything. What else?
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

RabidAlpaca said:
Funny, I got suspended for not standing for the Texas pledge in high school. Maybe I should've told them I was a jehovah's witness.
Click to expand...

Yeah... you should have sued. They violated your 1st and 14th amendment rights.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

Hatuey said:
Yeah... you should have sued. They violated your 1st and 14th amendment rights.
Click to expand...

That's what I said, but apparently there's a law about it and everything.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

RabidAlpaca said:
That's what I said, but apparently there's a law about it and everything.
Click to expand...

What state/year? I'm pretty sure this matter was settled in a few different court cases during the 80s. Nvm. It was the 1940s. West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette. you have the right not to speak as much as you have the right to speak.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

Hatuey said:
What state/year? I'm pretty sure this matter was settled in a few different court cases during the 80s. Nvm. It was the 1940s. West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette. you have the right not to speak as much as you have the right to speak.
Click to expand...

2003, Texas. They said I didn't have to speak, but I was required by law to stand. I was actually sitting down for a few people who didn't have the courage to do it themselves. They were from out of state, and it's ridiculous to make people pledge allegiance to a state.

Funnily enough, while I was suspended a whole lot of people sat down in protest during the pledge, but so many people did it they couldn't suspend everyone.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

German Guy can probably back me up on this, but I find the Pledge to be a little unnerving.

I wouldn't want to be forced to say it.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

The solution was really quite simple.... The teacher should have contacted the parents before forcing the girl to take part in the pledge, to see if they had any objections to their kid reciting the pledge or not. If not, then the teacher could have taken that stance.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

brothern said:
German Guy can probably back me up on this, but I find the Pledge to be a little unnerving.

I wouldn't want to be forced to say it.
Click to expand...

It is weird how a lot of people calling themselves libertarian think that a mandatory daily oath of allegiance to the government is appropriate for small children. Glad to see some of you guys are consistent!
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

Deuce said:
It is weird how a lot of people calling themselves libertarian think that a mandatory daily oath of allegiance to the government is appropriate for small children. Glad to see some of you guys are consistent!
Click to expand...

Won't see this libertarian supporting it. When I think of this jingoistic indoctrination bullspit, I throw up in my mouth a little bit and liken it to about 80 years ago in Germany.

You may as well train kids to raise an outstretched hand, palm down, and say "Sieg Heil".
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

Gipper said:
Won't see this libertarian supporting it. When I think of this jingoistic indoctrination bullspit, I throw up in my mouth a little bit and liken it to about 80 years ago in Germany.

You may as well train kids to raise an outstretched hand, palm down, and say "Sieg Heil".
Click to expand...

They didn't say Sieg Heil, but the same salute was commonly used prior to WWII.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

The teacher should be fired, she is too ignorant*, arrogant and bigoted to be a teacher.

Forcing children to recite words that they don't fully understand is stupid and unconstitutional.

*Teachers should know about the Jehovah Witnesses' objection to the pledge, it was the subject of significant court cases and it is relevant to their work.
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

Gipper said:
Won't see this libertarian supporting it. When I think of this jingoistic indoctrination bullspit, I throw up in my mouth a little bit and liken it to about 80 years ago in Germany.

You may as well train kids to raise an outstretched hand, palm down, and say "Sieg Heil".
Click to expand...

Students_pledging_allegiance_to_the_American_flag_with_the_Bellamy_salute.jpg
 
Re: Fla. teacher suspended for forcing 4th-grader to participate in Pledge of Allegia

RabidAlpaca said:
That's what I said, but apparently there's a law about it and everything.
Click to expand...

That law is unconstitutional (if it really exists and isn't just school officials being stubbornly stupid). They can't have a law that requires you to do something like that for no other reason than to just show "respect" for a state oath/pledge. First court case, and it would be struck down in a heartbeat.

Texas students prevail in dispute over standing for Pledge | First Amendment Center

In fact, it has been being challenged by many students that schools in Texas cannot force students to stand during any pledge. As they should. There is no reason anyone should be forced to either recite or stand for a pledge, whether it be a national pledge or a state one. That should be their choice not law.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom