My senior year in high school (1988) I refused to say the national anthem because I came during a class with a teacher that refused to display the flag. In my opinion you face the flag and make the pledge.
She told me to solve the problem without a perminant mark on the classroom.
I began wearing my EF-111 flight jacket (all correct patches)to class (she despised that).
I would pull some velcro wall decoration off and apply the american flag in its place and say the pledge. Did I mention that I had my entire class supporting me.
Oh, and by the way it was a Government/Economics class.
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ping!
Good for you. CAn you tell us what state?
""As an educational leader, I am powerfully committed to collaboratively promote the successful learning of all students at Skyline High School, while simultaneously optimizing humaneness and respect for all, staff and students alike."
Tom Stumpf, Principal
This sounds like it was written by an eighth grader trying to pad an essay exam.
I tried to send this email to Mr. Stumpf, but his mailbox is "disabled."
Mr. Stumpf:
I understand you are trying to ease tensions on campus but I'm very disappointed that you could not find a way to accomplish this without making the terrible decision to ban the U.S. Flag.
How low has this country sunk that we need to ban our own flag on a H.S. campus in order to keep the kids respectful and disciplined?
This has brought some emotions to the surface with me. I read about this and thought back to my time in the U.S. Navy. I thought about all my shipmates who had families and marriages torn apart due to long deployments. I thought about a sailor on our sister ship who, when he got a letter from his wife saying she had left him while we were both deployed to the Mediterranean and that she was taking the kids with her, and then the Navy told him he couldn't have emergency leave to track his wife and kids down, how he then walked to the fantail and put a .45 pistol to his head and killed himself. I thought about my shipmate who volunteered to try out for the Navy SEALs, only to get an infection in his leg during the rigorous training and eventually lost his leg to that infection. I also thought about my deceased grandfather who suffered from jungle rot in his feet for decades as a result of his service as a Marine in the Pacific during W.W.II. I thought about all of these things and wondered how it is that the U.S. Flag could be banned on a public school campus?
If I were you I would feel I had totally failed my students.
I hope you find a way to fix this totally insane policy.