Boy's Parents Want Teacher Fired for Sitting Son in Hall-Wont Pledge Allegiance to Flag

Lakewood Press Democrat ^ | January 8, 2003 | Ucilia Wang

[ewing]

The parents of a Lakewood Middle School student Thursday will ask the School Board to fire the teacher who told the student to leave the classroom for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Victoria Kearney said she will ask Lakeport Unified School District board to dismiss David Laven becase she is dissatisfied with the district's handling of the complaint about Lavin's treatment of her son, Jim Woodbury.

Laven told Woodbury to stand outside the classroom when he wouldn't say the Pledge of Allegiance in his U.S. History and Constitution class last semester.

[ewing]

Let me guess who there two parents voted for.. Freeper help needed pronto!

[Abcdefg]

Okay, I'll be the goat . . .
The Supreme court has already ruled that kids can't be forced to say the pledge in school.

[College Repub]

Why should he personaly have to say the pledge? Maybe it violates his religous views. His parents apparently had no problem until the teacher tried to force him to participate and then punished him if he didn't. The parents have a case in my opinion.

[JeeperFreeper]

Gotta be in California, just gotta be.

[ewing]

This may be part of the testing material in class.

It is perfectly appropriate to ask a child for an oral exam to recite the pledge, and the student probably failed the exam if he didn't do it.

[mhking]

No need to excerpt this:



Boy's parents want teacher fired in pledge flap


Lakeport eighth-grader punished for not saluting flag, mother says

January 8, 2003

By UCILIA WANG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT















The parents of a Lakeport middle school student Thursday will ask the school board to fire a teacher who told the student to leave the classroom for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.


Victoria Kearney said she will ask the Lakeport Unified School District board to dismiss David Laven because she is dissatisfied with the district's handling of her complaint about Laven's treatment of her son, Jim Woodbury.


Laven told Woodbury to stand outside the classroom when he wouldn't say the Pledge of Allegiance in his U.S. history and constitution class last semester.


"We are appalled that this can go on in the school," Kearney said. "My son's rights were violated. We are trusting that the Constitution is behind us on this."


Woodbury, an eighth-grader, said he refused to say the pledge because of his political beliefs.


"I believe the flag is a symbol of the government, and I think it's corrupt and I don't agree with some of the choices it made," he said.


After investigating Kearney's complaint, district Superintendent John Burke decided in December to send a warning letter to Laven.


Burke said in his written response to Kearney's complaint that students cannot be compelled to stand or recite the pledge. Pupils also should not be left outside of the classroom unsupervised, he added.


Laven didn't return calls seeking comment. But Laven told Burke during Burke's investigation that Woodbury was disruptive and tried to incite other students not to say the pledge, according to Burke's written report.


Kearney disputed Laven's claim. She contended that when her son presented a packet of information about students' rights to refuse to say the pledge, Laven threw the materials into a trash can and said he didn't care what the law is.


Burke declined to comment further on the issue, saying information about a teacher's job performance or a student's conduct is confidential.


The school board is scheduled to consider Kearney's request in closed session. The board could uphold Burke's decision or decide to look into the issue further.


California law requires students to participate in patriotic exercises daily, and saying the pledge meets that requirement. But the state Department of Education also has told school districts that saying the pledge is not mandatory.


A landmark 1943 U.S. Supreme Court case, West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette, established that students cannot be compelled to recite the pledge.


Kearney said she pulled her son out of Terrace Middle School in November. Woodbury is now in independent study.


News researcher Teresa Meikle contributed to the story. You can reach Staff Writer Ucilia Wang at 4620-6473 or uwang@pressdemocrat.com.

[twigs]

There should still be a satisfactory way to resolve the matter short of dismissing the teacher. We talk a lot here on FreeRepublic about teacher responsibility. If society is going to give them that, then they need to exercise it without fear of being fired (without due cause). If the teacher was wrong, then the school district should have disciplinary procedures in place.

[ewing]

That is what I was thinking.. perhaps close to Loma Linda

[FreeTally]

You are correct. The teacher was out of line and was probably trying to humiliate the kid. The kid can stand there and not recite it if he/she doesn't want to, but making them leave isn't smart.

[Mark]

NEA supports Demoncrats- Demoncrats support all forms of communism-- there may be a small problem here.

[ewing]

The only thing this teacher did was throw the ACLU packet of material in the garbage.

Which makes him a hero in my book!

[TontoKowalski]

The parents have a case in my opinion.

You're right, they do. Conservatism is closely connected to general patriotism, but it should also be in tune with respecting the rights of the individual.

If Mom and Dad are OK with his not saying the Pledge, then that ends it. I may not like their view, but I respect their right.

[Restorer]

A landmark 1943 U.S. Supreme Court case, West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette, established that students cannot be compelled to recite the pledge.

No exactly.

That case ruled that a student cannot be punished for not pledging if it is for religious reasons. The student in question states that his refusal is for political reasons.

[ewing]

Well said.

[Bella_Bru]

Maybe it violates his religous views

I think JW's refuse to say the pledge because they will not take an oath to anyone or anything outside of G-d.

Besides, patriotism has zero meaning if it is forced.

[College Repub]

Some parents don't want their kids taking sex ed classes. Others don't want them having to say the pledge. Different strokes for different folks. In any case, being forced in a public school to do something that severely violates one's religious or political beliefs is wrong.

[FreeTally]

"I believe the flag is a symbol of the government, and I think it's corrupt and I don't agree with some of the choices it made," he said.

Well, this probably isn't an 8th graders orignal thoughts, but at least he understands this.

She contended that when her son presented a packet of information about students' rights to refuse to say the pledge, Laven threw the materials into a trash can and said he didn't care what the law is.

If that's true, then this is no different than a teacher doing this to a boy scout or someone with religious material.

[Bella_Bru]

Telling someone they MUST say the Pledge has the same effect as telling someone they MUST pray. If it is not in their hearts, than they are just empty words.

[ewing]

But History is a required class most places, except Bezerkley..

[mhking]

Dr. John (spineless Superintendant) Burke: jburke@lakeport.k12.ca.us

Lakeport Unified School District
100 Lange Street
Lakeport, CA 95453
Phone (707) 262-3000
Fax (707) 263-7332