The family of a South Carolina ninth grader is suing her school after they said a teacher pushed the 15-year-old into a wall because she refused to take the Pledge of Allegiance.
The lawsuit filed on Feb. 13 alleges that Marissa Barnwell, who attends River Bluff High School, was on her way to class on Nov. 29, 2022, when special education teacher Nicole Livingston confronted her in the hall as the pledge was playing over the schoolâs loudspeaker. The teacher allegedly demanded she stop walking and recite the pledge.
The lawsuit names the South Carolina Department of Education, Lexington County School District One, Livingston, and principal Jacob Smith, accusing them of negligence and violating Barnwellâs civil rights.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Barnwell said she was âcompletely and utterly disrespectedâ and that no one should ever have gone through what she experienced.
âI have never seen this lady a day in my life so when she approached me so angry and so upset I had not known what to react to her,â Barnwell said. âSo she approached me, she grabbed me, she pushed me up against the wall, and I was not prepared for that.â
She said she stopped participating in the pledge of allegiance in third grade because she believes that the message of âliberty and justice for allâ does not apply to everyone in the US.
âIn those pledges, you say âliberty and justice for allâ but is America really liberty and justice for all?â she said.
Barnwell added she has continued attending the school, but sheâs been upset by the fact that Livingston didnât face any kind of consequence. The school district and the state department of education did not immediately return BuzzFeed News' request for a comment.
âNo one has apologized, no one has acknowledged my hurt, the fact that the school is defending that kind of behavior is unimaginable,â Barnwell said.
According to the lawsuit, Livingston took an âupset and emotionally disturbedâ Barnwell to the principal's office after the alleged assault. Smith, the principal, then allegedly told Barnwell he would review the security footage and sent her back to class.
Surveillance video provided to BuzzFeed News shows the teacher confronting Barnwell as other students and adults also walk through the hall. Shavell Barnwell, her father, questioned why she was singled out.
âWhy would the teacher single out my daughter when you could clearly see that other students are walking in this video, but that particular day she zoomed in on my daughter and when she grabbed her, you could see the grab was a forceful grab and you could see she was holding on to her with aggression,â he said at the press conference.
Marissa Barnwell said she believes it was because she was the only Black girl in the hallway.
Is this teacher in the right or the wrong?
The lawsuit filed on Feb. 13 alleges that Marissa Barnwell, who attends River Bluff High School, was on her way to class on Nov. 29, 2022, when special education teacher Nicole Livingston confronted her in the hall as the pledge was playing over the schoolâs loudspeaker. The teacher allegedly demanded she stop walking and recite the pledge.
The lawsuit names the South Carolina Department of Education, Lexington County School District One, Livingston, and principal Jacob Smith, accusing them of negligence and violating Barnwellâs civil rights.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Barnwell said she was âcompletely and utterly disrespectedâ and that no one should ever have gone through what she experienced.
âI have never seen this lady a day in my life so when she approached me so angry and so upset I had not known what to react to her,â Barnwell said. âSo she approached me, she grabbed me, she pushed me up against the wall, and I was not prepared for that.â
She said she stopped participating in the pledge of allegiance in third grade because she believes that the message of âliberty and justice for allâ does not apply to everyone in the US.
âIn those pledges, you say âliberty and justice for allâ but is America really liberty and justice for all?â she said.
Barnwell added she has continued attending the school, but sheâs been upset by the fact that Livingston didnât face any kind of consequence. The school district and the state department of education did not immediately return BuzzFeed News' request for a comment.
âNo one has apologized, no one has acknowledged my hurt, the fact that the school is defending that kind of behavior is unimaginable,â Barnwell said.
According to the lawsuit, Livingston took an âupset and emotionally disturbedâ Barnwell to the principal's office after the alleged assault. Smith, the principal, then allegedly told Barnwell he would review the security footage and sent her back to class.
Surveillance video provided to BuzzFeed News shows the teacher confronting Barnwell as other students and adults also walk through the hall. Shavell Barnwell, her father, questioned why she was singled out.
âWhy would the teacher single out my daughter when you could clearly see that other students are walking in this video, but that particular day she zoomed in on my daughter and when she grabbed her, you could see the grab was a forceful grab and you could see she was holding on to her with aggression,â he said at the press conference.
Marissa Barnwell said she believes it was because she was the only Black girl in the hallway.
Is this teacher in the right or the wrong?
