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."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.
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.
"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.Maybe he should stay in class, so he can learn that government choices are utlimately made by the people, with their electoral power.
But, then again, he apparently enjoys burying his head in the sand, then finding fault over something he doesn't comprehend, and ends up with free publicity....
ick