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.

[socal_parrot]

No Cal...Bay Area

[Bella_Bru]

Probably Niner fans

Better than Raider's fans. I mean parolees. ;-)

[ewing]

But little Mr. Woodbury also has the right not to graduate if he refuses to comply with an oral exam in history class to say the pledge.

And I believe he is in homeschooling right now, If I am correct..

[ladylib]

Students have successfully sued school districts which tried to discipline them for not saying the pledge.

The student was also put in the hall by himself without adult supervision.

God, I'd hate to be a student or a school teacher in today's public schools.

[ewing]

Why am I not surprised..

[Revelation 911]

Why should he personaly have to say the pledge? Maybe it violates his religous views

Jehovahs Witnesses will frequently abstain from the pledge - I wouldnt be surprised if thats the case here. In which case the boy is standing on firm legal ground (as much as it annoys me)

[Teacher317]

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.

Given what's in the story, this seems most likely. However, my natural distrust of journalists (who enjoy a good sensationalized story), and my knee-jerk habit of defending teachers (SOME of 'em, anyway), I'll throw out these possibilities: the kid might've been disrupting others while they were reciting The Pledge, the kid might've been snotty or disrespectful after the teacher asked him to participate, or the kid might've been reciting an *ahem* "alternative version" of his own making.

[Khepera]

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

Actually one could say the same thing about the teachers actions.

If one is appropriate than so is the other.

[Teacher317]

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.

Guess I should've read your version before posting.

[steve-b]

Laven threw the materials into a trash can and said he didn't care what the law is.

The Clinton Legacy lives on....

[ladylib]

Doesn't make any difference what his reasons are and the school can't ask.

The legislature tried to make all students recite the pledge in school in Virginia with only a religous exemption. They carefully looked over their legislation and decided it wouldn't be in the schools' best interest to try to make the pledge mandatory.

[socal_parrot]

Raider fans would have gone to the school and kicked the teacher's butt.

[ewing]

The kid sounds like a goofball trying to get his name in the headlines.

[Bella_Bru]

But little Mr. Woodbury also has the right not to graduate if he refuses to comply with an oral exam in history class to say the pledge.

The article did not state this was for an exam.

[Bella_Bru]

Besides, what is the purpose of trying to force someone to swear an oath to something? Personal satisfaction? You can pretend they mean it just because they said it?

[AgentEcho]

The kid won't PLEDGE to the flag of the US, but the parents will use the CONSTITUTION of the US to suit their needs?

[Teacher317]

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.

Again, I'd bet the "journalist" cut off part of the story.
My guess:
"Laven threw the materials into a trash can and said he didn't care what the law is, it was the misbehavior that was being punished, not the refusal to recite the pledge. The law regarding the pledge has no correlation to the punishment for a discipline problem."...
but that's not as sexy a story to write.

[muawiyah]

The kid can think the Flag represents the government if he wants, but he's wrong. It is a legacy handed down to us by the men and women who founded the nation. The only question is whether or not our people and our government are up to the task of respecting and protecting it.

Since this kid has not been shipped back where he came from, we probably need to tune things up a bit.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Wrong way to go about things. The kid has a right to not say the pledge if he wants.

The main thing is that scheduled recitation of the pledge of allegiance is given as part of the public schooling experience.

If the rest of the class recites the pledge, little jihad johnny will experience some degree of 'peer pressure.' The left has used this tactic for years.

[Bella_Bru]

Raider fans would have gone to the school and kicked the teacher's butt.

True....they are a scary bunch.