Student files lawsuit accusing teacher of shaming her for not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance
A 14-year-old girl is accusing her teacher of violating her First Amendment rights after he allegedly “mocked and shamed” her for not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance during class, Connecticut’s Hartford Courant reports.
According to a federal lawsuit filed Monday, the unidentified student, who is black, joined a group of classmates in sitting out the pledge in protest. The lawsuit calls her non-participation a “peaceful and non-disruptive expression of their belief that African-Americans suffer from racial discrimination in the United States.”
But her teacher at Waterbury Arts Magnet School in Waterbury, Conn., identified as Ralph Belvedere, allegedly lashed out at the protest by calling it “dishonest.” The girl’s lawyer, John Williams, claims Belvedere noted his disapproval by thanking those students who did stand, accusing his client of not completing schoolwork, and having another teacher give a lecture on her “supposed lack of patriotism.”
“[She] has been frightened and intimidated and has suffered emotional distress and anxiety,” the lawsuit claims.
Belvedere and the local school board are both named in the suit.
“This is real basic First Amendment law,” Williams told journalists. “The U.S. Supreme Court has addressed this a number of times.
“We have a group of students of color who quite peacefully chose to remain seated during the Pledge of Allegiance. You have a teacher who reprimanded them for that.”
In related news, a Texas high school student is in the midst of a similar legal battle against her former school district. India Landry claims her school violated her rights after expelling her when she refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance last year.
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