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The Tampa Bay Times reported that the student, whose Jehovah’s Witness religion forbids him from worshiping objects, was used to standing silent while the other students put their hands over their hearts and recited the pledge.
But on the morning of Sept. 11, Explorer K-8 School teacher Anne Daigle-McDonald forcibly placed the boy’s hand over his heart.
“You are an American, and you are supposed to salute the flag,” she said, turning to the class. “In my classroom, everyone will do the pledge; no religion says that you can’t do the pledge.”
“If you can’t put your hand on your heart, then you need to move out of the country,” the teacher reportedly added.
Hernando County Schools Division of Business Services-Heather Martin Executive Director later told Daigle-McDonald that nearly all of the students in her fourth grade class had recalled her telling them the next day to move back to their home country if they didn’t want to say the pledge.
“But that’s not what I said,” Daigle-McDonald insisted. “It was directed at citizenship. I was talking about pledging allegiance to our country, and if you don’t want to pledge to our country, you should go to your home country.”
She certainly isn't doing much to help the cause of nationalism by being mean to children and imposing thoughtless racism on them. Ms. McDonald is supposed to be serving her students, not bullying them. Total devotion to a free country and its flag does not symbolize freedom; a person's ability not to, say, pledge to the flag is the greatest symbol of freedom, for that would truly represent total and impartial liberty. If Ms. McDonald does not believe in freedom and justice for all, which is supposedly why America is great, then why does she love America so much?
Alas, tolerance and free speech still is not truly respected by many Americans.
I wonder, has this teacher been reprimanded in any way for this incident?
On Oct. 7, local school district superintendent Lori Romano suspended Daigle-McDonald for five days without pay and ordered her to complete a diversity training course.
Unfortunately, she was forcing a Jehovah's Witness, in violation of West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (per the link).
Florida teacher suspended for forcing kids to say pledge on Sept. 11 or 'go to your home country' | The Raw Story
The Tampa Bay Times reported that the student, whose Jehovahs Witness religion forbids him from worshiping objects, was used to standing silent while the other students put their hands over their hearts and recited the pledge.
But on the morning of Sept. 11, Explorer K-8 School teacher Anne Daigle-McDonald forcibly placed the boys hand over his heart.
You are an American, and you are supposed to salute the flag, she said, turning to the class. In my classroom, everyone will do the pledge; no religion says that you cant do the pledge.
If you cant put your hand on your heart, then you need to move out of the country, the teacher reportedly added.
Hernando County Schools Division of Business Services-Heather Martin Executive Director later told Daigle-McDonald that nearly all of the students in her fourth grade class had recalled her telling them the next day to move back to their home country if they didnt want to say the pledge.
But thats not what I said, Daigle-McDonald insisted. It was directed at citizenship. I was talking about pledging allegiance to our country, and if you dont want to pledge to our country, you should go to your home country.
She sounds a bit
