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School Officials in Mass. Town Won't Let Students Recite Pledge of Allegiance
FOXNews ^ | June 29, 2010 | Todd Starnes

Posted on 06/29/2010 3:11:59 PM PDT by george76

When Sean Harrington entered his freshman year at Arlington High School, he noticed something peculiar: There were no American flags in the classrooms, and no one recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

So Harrington enlisted the aid of his fellow students, and now, three years later, they have succeeded in getting flags installed in the classrooms. But the pledge still will not be recited.

The Arlington, Mass., school committee has rejected the 17-year-old's request to allow students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance, because some educators are concerned that it would be hard to find teachers willing to recite it...

Harrington had presented school officials with a petition signed by 700 people...

But the request to have the pledge recited failed when the committee's vote ended in a 3-3 tie.

Harrington, who will be a senior in the fall, said he will continue to fight. "I'm not a person who quits and I don't back down. It's a very righteous cause and needs to be followed through until the end."

Some committee members voiced concerns about forcing people to do something that might violate their beliefs – including religious beliefs. Among the no-votes was committee member Leba Heigham.

"Patriotism is a very personal thing for all of us, but I do not think it is in the school committee's best interest to mandate that any of our employees recite the pledge," she told the Patch.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: arth; highschool; nea; nopatriotism; school; teacher; teachersunion; teacherunion; teachingcommunism; teachingmarxism; teachingtreason; union
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To: george76

Absolutely shameful. Period.

These low-life characters should be allowed nowhere near a classroom.


21 posted on 06/29/2010 3:27:15 PM PDT by Jack Hammer
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To: george76

Over 5,000 years ago, Moses said to the children of Israel, “Pick up your shovels, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the Promised Land.”

Nearly 5,000 years later, Roosevelt said, “Lay down your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a Camel; this is the Promised Land!”

Now Mr. Obama wants to steal your shovels, kick your asses, raise the price of your Camels, and mortgage the Promised Land.


22 posted on 06/29/2010 3:29:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (Don't care if he was born in a manger on July 4th! A "Natural Born" citizen requires two US parents!)
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To: george76

Shameful....

Just think.... This is one of the original 13 colonies.


23 posted on 06/29/2010 3:31:02 PM PDT by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: george76

Bookmark for future reference.


24 posted on 06/29/2010 3:31:52 PM PDT by 2nd amendment mama ( www.2asisters.org | Self defense is a basic human right!)
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To: george76

is there some reason HS students would be unable to say the pledge without a teacher?


25 posted on 06/29/2010 3:33:01 PM PDT by paul51 (11 September 2001 - Never forget)
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To: george76
...some educators are concerned that it would be hard to find teachers willing to recite it...

Well, I know an easy solution for that. Fire those teachers and those "some educators". Maybe they can find employment in a North Korean school, which would be more suitable to their world view?

26 posted on 06/29/2010 3:34:38 PM PDT by Gritty (Teaching urges revolutions small and large. La educacion es revolucion!-William Ayers)
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To: george76

I went to a small town elementary school. In every class we had a picture of the president, and the flag. We said the pledge. We had catechism in school on Sunday.


27 posted on 06/29/2010 3:34:42 PM PDT by mirkwood
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To: Faith
Do not tar all teachers for their actions.

Some photos from projects our homeroom did over the last several years.

Photobucket

A Christmas stocking we sent some of our heroes at Walter Reed.

Photobucket

Valentine gifts for our troops guarding the terrorists at Gitmo.

Photobucket

Some of the stuff the kids in my homeroom collected for a squad in Iraq

Photobucket

PhotobucketAnother bulletin board.

Photobucket

Photobucket

28 posted on 06/29/2010 3:35:21 PM PDT by mware (F-R-E-E, that spells free, Free Republic.com baby.)
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To: george76
The Arlington, Mass., school committee has rejected the 17-year-old's request to allow students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance, because some educators are concerned that it would be hard to find teachers willing to recite it...

Some committee members voiced concerns about forcing people to do something that might violate their beliefs – including religious beliefs. Among the no-votes was committee member Leba Heigham.

"Patriotism is a very personal thing for all of us, but I do not think it is in the school committee's best interest to mandate that any of our employees recite the pledge," she told the Patch.

Apparently Ms Heigham doesn't comprehend the difference between voluntary and mandate.

The next step this young man needs to take is simply to stand up at the beginning of class and face the flag and recite the pledge. Some students will join in and others won't. Then let this stupid idiot on the school board try to prohibit students from saying the pledge of allegiance.

29 posted on 06/29/2010 3:36:03 PM PDT by VRWCmember
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To: george76

We recited the Pledge of Allegiance everyday in grammer school for 8 years...it was a normal routine for us....


30 posted on 06/29/2010 3:36:40 PM PDT by geege
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To: IAintGotNoMoney

A person can walk from Cambridge Common (where Washington took control of the Continental Army) in a few short minutes down along Massachusetts Avenue to downtown Arlington.

It is simply disgraceful what is going on here in Massachusetts.


31 posted on 06/29/2010 3:37:50 PM PDT by Radix ("..Democrats are holding a meeting today to decide whether to overturn the results of the election.")
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

An old joke... but a good one because it’s true.


32 posted on 06/29/2010 3:37:52 PM PDT by andy58-in-nh (America does not need to be organized: it needs to be liberated.)
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To: george76

What’s stopping the students from just saying it every morning during homeroom? Is the school going to have mass arrests?


33 posted on 06/29/2010 3:37:58 PM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid.)
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To: jessduntno

email I sent her...

It seems the pledge of alliegence to our flag is a confounding problem for the Arlington School... wow, such controversy. I suppose the only real answer is to privatize and/or home school. I hope more of your students are able to attend private schools... maybe there are parents who will teach others.

It is easy to remain confused when you’re a democrat. No one notices.

Cheers,

Andy


34 posted on 06/29/2010 3:39:33 PM PDT by BamaAndy
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To: george76
Harrington, who will be a senior in the fall, said he will continue to fight. "I'm not a person who quits and I don't back down. It's a very righteous cause and needs to be followed through until the end."

OK Sean, just stand up and recite the pledge every day at the beginning of your first class of the day. Some will join, others won't. Students in other classes will hear about it, and some will take the same stand in their classes. Let the idiots like Ms Highball on the board try to stop you. Let them try to prohibit students from saying the Pledge of Allegiance of their own free will and initiative. You WILL win this fight.

35 posted on 06/29/2010 3:41:30 PM PDT by VRWCmember
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To: geege
We recited the Pledge of Allegiance everyday in grammer school for 8 years...it was a normal routine for us....
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

My husband and I are cub scout leaders. We live in one of the reddest counties in one of the reddest states.

OUR SCOUTS DO NOT KNOW THE PLEDGE!!!! ( Yes, I am shouting, jumping up and down and having a fit!) We, their cub scout leaders, have to teach them!

So...If this is happening here in a “Blue Ribbon” government school district, I **KNOW** that it is happening all over th country.

CONSERVATIVES!!! GET YOUR KIDS OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL MARXIST INDOCTRINATION CAMPS!!! DO IT NOW!!!

36 posted on 06/29/2010 3:43:18 PM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid.)
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To: paul51
That was my thought too, why can they not meet at the flag pole outside the school every morning and recite the pledge?
37 posted on 06/29/2010 3:53:03 PM PDT by guitarplayer1953 (Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to GOD! Thomas Jefferson)
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To: Faith

I emailed Glenn Beck, asking him to do a week long program on how to turn our schools around. It’s fine for the kids to step in also and for parents to educate their kids, but we need pressure, on a national level, on our schools. If we don’t do this, our kids won’t stand a chance in this country. Communism has got to go and go now.


38 posted on 06/29/2010 3:56:31 PM PDT by RC2
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To: george76

Massachusetts, home of “Fisting for Fifth Graders”, lol.
They want the Pledge of Allegiance in that place? I don’t think so..
The only flags they want in the classroom are rainbow flags.


39 posted on 06/29/2010 3:58:34 PM PDT by Lancey Howard
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To: george76

If the community doesn’t rise up and replace the school board, with the intend of replacing school administrators, then they deserve what they get.

Freedom demands responsibility, pure and simple!


40 posted on 06/29/2010 4:00:23 PM PDT by J Edgar
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