Michigan city council drops Pledge of Allegiance recitation



A city council in Michigan has decided not to recite the Pledge of Allegiance during meetings any more after one member seemed to suggest it took up too much time.

Last week, the issue was discussed at an organizational meeting for the City Council of Ypsilanti, a city of about 20,000 residents and the home of Eastern Michigan University. That meeting stretched late into the night, and members decided to revisit the issue at a meeting on Tuesday, WEMU reported.

'If anybody doesn’t want to say it, I feel like we just individually take the stance to not say it.'

Council member Desirae Simmons then introduced a resolution to end the practice, claiming, in WEMU's words, that "the pledge takes up space on their agenda."

"I know I don’t feel comfortable pledging allegiance to a flag. And so I don’t participate in that, so I wanted to bring it up as a formal change to our agenda," Simmons explained in a statement.

"Really, our role is to our residents here in the community, here in the city of Ypsilanti," she further added, according to MLive. "And so I guess that’s what I took my oath of office to, and I think that that’s sufficient."

Simmons and four other members voted in favor of dropping the pledge. Only one member, Roland Tooson, voted to keep it.

"If anybody doesn’t want to say it, I feel like we just individually take the stance to not say it," Tooson said. "I don’t think we should just take it off the agenda completely."

During the meeting, members discussed possible alternatives to the pledge, including "breathing exercises or other 'grounding' practices," according to MLive. They also discussed a moment of silence, which is already a regular agenda item.

"I would just like to maintain the few moments that we have for us to center ourselves," said Mayor Nicole Brown. "... I do enjoy the quiet for a second. For me, I feel like I need that."

While council members may make suggestions about possible replacements for the pledge, the mayor ultimately sets the agenda, City Manager Andrew Hellenga told MLive.

H/T: Dave Bondy

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Famous American novelist roundly criticized over remarks about Pledge of Allegiance, schools in the South



Award-winning novelist Joyce Carol Oates was roundly criticized after posting controversial remarks about the Pledge of Allegiance and schools in the South.

"In all my years of being in school as a student & being a teacher I have never once witnessed anyone pledging allegiance to a flag. Maybe some schools in the South? Certainly not mainstream America. Sounds like an old rerun of 'Gunsmoke,'" Joyce Carol Oates tweeted Saturday.

\u201cin all my years of being in school as a student & being a teacher I have never once witnessed anyone pledging allegiance to a flag. maybe some schools in the South? certainly not mainstream America. sounds like an old rerun of "Gunsmoke."\u201d
— Joyce Carol Oates (@Joyce Carol Oates) 1682795854

The Academy of Achievement calls Oates, a prolific author and National Book Award Winner, "America's Foremost Woman of Letters." She received the National Humanities Medal for a lifetime of contributions to American literature in 2010 during the Obama administration.

Twitter users were quick to correct and challenge 84-year-old Oates despite her undisputed literary bona fides.

"My kids do it everyday in Virginia. Perhaps you live in a cave?" said one.

"My kids' school does it (in the very well-off suburbs of Washington DC.)," said another.

"California Education Code § 52720 has required a daily patriotic exercise such as reciting the Pledge in public schools since 1976," said a third.

One Twitter user called the assumptions on which Oates' remarks were based "ugly and bigoted."

Not to outdone, Oates doubled down. Retweeting a person who called the practice "stupid," Oates suggested a "zealous patriotic response to 9/11" might explain the common practice.

"Especially when everyone felt relatively helpless, traumatized by the terrorist attack, uniting students in pledges to a flag would seem to have a positive effect," she wrote.

\u201cthat might explain it--a zealous patriotic response to 9/11. \nespecially when everyone felt relatively helpless, traumatized by the terrorist attack, uniting students in pledges to a flag would seem to have a positive effect.\u201d
— Joyce Carol Oates (@Joyce Carol Oates) 1682807861

Oates said she was "sure" that her high school in an "affluent suburb of Buffalo" did not require the recitation until "possibly after 9/11."

Yet again, she appeared to continue laboring under a faulty assumption that requirements involving reciting the Pledge are somehow limited to schools in the South.

\u201cI'm sure that my high school in an affluent suburb of Buffalo did not require this until possibly after 9/11---many years after I'd gone there. the pledge seems to be local option in 2023 at least in non-Southern states.\u201d
— Joyce Carol Oates (@Joyce Carol Oates) 1682811773

A few hours after her original tweet, Oates' tone appeared to soften a bit. She acknowledged respondents' many corrections on pledge-related practices in the past. Apparently unclear on modern day practices, however, she then asked questions about whether reciting the Pledge of Allegiance daily in school is common today.

\u201cmany respondents to this tweet say that yes, they did have to "pledge allegiance" to the US flag in school. is it still required today? assume it's state by state? public school? private? a parochial school day begins w/ prayer also.\u201d
— Joyce Carol Oates (@Joyce Carol Oates) 1682807560

Schoolchildren daily reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is quite common. Students are required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in 47 states, with opt-out exemptions varying by state, WVIB reported. The three states with no policy on reciting the Pledge are Wyoming, Vermont, and Hawaii.

Oates is currently a lecturer with the rank of professor at Princeton University's Lewis Center Program in Creative Writing in New Jersey.

New Jersey law mandates that boards of education require pupils to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance every school day, according to FindLaw. Students who "have conscientious scruples against such pledge or salute" are exempted from the requirement.

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Family of 9th-grade student suing district after teacher physically confronted her for ignoring the Pledge of Allegiance



The family of a ninth-grade student filed a First Amendment lawsuit after a teacher physically confronted her for walking to class while the school participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The altercation in November between Marissa Barnwell and the teacher was caught on video at the River Bluff High School in Lexington, South Carolina.

Barnwell says that she chose to walk quietly to her next class instead of participating in the pledge, but a teacher confronted her, yelled at her, and then pushed her against a wall.

“I was completely and utterly disrespected,” said the 15-year-old at a news conference Thursday. “No one has apologized, no one has acknowledged my hurt."

She said that she told the teacher, "Get your hands off of me."

Barnwell said she was sent to the principal's office, where she felt humiliated. She said she was sent back to class, but no one told her if she had done anything wrong or if the teacher was in the wrong for accosting her.

"The fact that the school is defending that kind of behavior is unimaginable," Barnwell added.

The Associated Press reported that South Carolina passed a law more than 30 years ago mandating the Pledge of Allegiance at schools, but that law also forbids punishing students who refuse to participate as long as they are not disruptive to others.

“The thing that’s beautiful about America is we have freedoms,” said Tyler Bailey, an attorney representing the family.

“Students in our schools should feel safe. They should not be feel threatened for exercising their constitutional rights," he added.

The family is suing the teacher, the district, the principal, and the South Carolina Department of Education in federal court.

The Lexington School District 1 didn't have a comment to the AP about the case except to say that the district attorney is working on a response.

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Here's a news video about the incident:

Family files lawsuit after Pledge of Allegiance dispute at local high schoolwww.youtube.com

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Democrats immediately object when House Republican proposes members recite Pledge of Allegiance before committee meeting



Fireworks erupted at a House Judiciary Committee meeting on Wednesday after a Republican member proposed a resolution that members say the Pledge of Allegiance before meeting.

But the seemingly innocuous resolution caused a long, heated debate when Democratic members immediately objected.

What happened?

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) proposed an amendment to the committee's rules that would require each member to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before conducting committee business.

"On the Judiciary Committee, we are charged with vindicating the constitutional rights of our fellow Americans, and our Pledge of Allegiance is a national symbol of pride and unity," he explained. "My amendment gives the committee the opportunity to begin each of its meetings with the Pledge of Allegiance."

But Rep. Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the committee, immediately opposed it.

"I would oppose it simply on the grounds that, as members know, we pledge allegiance every day on the floor. And I don't know why we should pledge allegiance twice in the same day to show how patriotic we are," he said. "I don't think this is the most important amendment in the world."

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) swiftly demonstrated why Nadler's objection was, perhaps, not justified.

"I've not seen Mr. Nadler on the floor when the pledge is done, and most members are not present there," Johnson said. "So it's not accurate to say we do the pledge every day or participate in the pledge every day. It may be offered, but you’re not there for it."

JUST IN: Matt Gaetz Amendment Causes Massive Debate In House Judiciary Committee Hearing www.youtube.com

From there, the civility of the meeting quickly went downhill. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) countered with his own amendment barring "insurrectionists" from leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Gaetz responded that Democrats also have a history of not supporting the outcome of presidential elections or denying their legitimacy.

Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) later undercut Cicilline's argument completely, noting that "insurrection" is a crime and would disqualify those convicted of it from serving in the House. Cicilline was thus forced to admit that no one on the committee was guilty of "insurrection."

At one point, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) took the opportunity to point out what he believed was the absurdity of the debate.

"I'm almost speechless," he said. "I know it's a real backbreaker. ... We can [go] that little extra mile, stand up, put our hand on our chest, say what we believe, and reaffirm this America that we love. Come on. This can't be real. I can't believe we're having this debate."

\u201cWould you believe me if I said the first half hour of our @JudiciaryGOP hearing has been wasted because Democrats oppose saying the pledge of allegiance?\u201d
— Congressman Jeff Van Drew (@Congressman Jeff Van Drew) 1675263416

What was the result?

Ultimately, Cicilline's amendment was blocked by a vote of 24-13, NBC News reported.

Gaetz's, on the other hand, was unanimously approved by a vote of 39-0.

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North Dakota school board ends reciting the Pledge of Allegiance because of the words 'under God'



A North Dakota school board has put an end to reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before each meeting because members complained that the patriotic verse is problematic since it has the words "under God."

On Tuesday, the Fargo School Board voted 7-2 to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before every meeting.

North Dakota newspaper Inforum reported that a school board member nixed the Pledge of Allegiance because it didn't align with the district's diversity, equity, and inclusion values. Some of the school board members contended that the words "under God" were excluding many people.

Fargo School Board member Seth Holden said, "Given that the word 'God' in the text of the Pledge of Allegiance is capitalized. The text is clearly referring to the Judeo-Christian god and therefore, it does not include any other face such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, all of which are practiced by our staff and students at FPS."

Holden claimed that saying the Pledge of Allegiance is a "non-inclusionary act."

Holden added, "The statement that we are ‘one nation under God,’ is the Judeo-Christian God… is simply an untrue statement. We are one nation under many or no gods."

He also stated that it is an "indisputable fact" that "not all U.S. citizens have liberty and justice… therefore making the line ‘one nation with liberty and justice for all’ an untrue statement."

School Board President Dr. Tracie Newman said, "I'm just not sure that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is a useful way to begin every one of our board meetings. I would much prefer that we open our meetings with a shared statement of purpose that would bring us all together to do the work of the board."

Two other board members suggested that each meeting start with reading one of the school district's values.

Board member Robin Nelson argued that the Pledge of Allegiance should be recited at the meetings, and voted in favor of keeping it as part of the program.

Former Fargo School Board member David Paulson stated, "We are misinterpreting the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge isn't a show of our patriotism, it's an affirmation of our commitment and our loyalty to the greater cause, and that greater cause is freedom."

Four members of the community called for the Pledge of Allegiance to continue.

The Fargo School Board only passed the motion to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before every meeting on March 22.

The Fargo public school district will still allow schools to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Board further believes that the salute to the flag and the daily pledge of allegiance and the words and music of the national anthem can help students learn these principles. Therefore, the principal of each school and/or any teacher is allowed to provide a daily program for the voluntary salute to the flag and pledge of allegiance. This policy recognizes that the beliefs of some students and teachers prohibit their participation in these patriotic exercises. No person shall be required to salute, stand, or otherwise participate in this exercise if it is against his/her beliefs. All persons, however, are expected to show respect to the flag and to the participation of others in the exercise.

Nonreligious student wins $90k settlement after teacher made her write out the Pledge of Allegiance



A nonreligious high school student in Texas who sued after her teacher forced her to write out the Pledge of Allegiance has been awarded a $90,000 settlement to resolve the case, according to the anti-religious organization American Atheists.

In a press release Tuesday, American Atheists, which represented the student, Mari Oliver, announced that her 12th-grade sociology teacher, Benjie Arnold, agreed to settle the case and that the Texas Association of School Boards, a risk pool funded by Texas school districts, issued the payment.

Oliver, who is black, had reportedly been singled out and harassed for years over her refusal to recite the Pledge of Allegiance "out of her objection to the words, 'Under God,' and her belief that the United States does not adequately guarantee 'liberty and justice for all,' especially for people of color," the organization claimed.

Under Texas law, students are required to recite the pledge. However, they can be granted an exemption if a written request is submitted from a parent or guardian, as was the case for Oliver.

In her lawsuit, filed in 2017, she claimed the harassment eventually resulted in her being withdrawn from school in favor of temporary homeschooling. But later, upon her return, the alleged discrimination only intensified.

The situation reportedly reached a head in Arnold's sociology class at Klein Oak High School in Spring, Texas. After the school's principal informed staff that Oliver was exempted from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, Arnold gave an assignment to his students requiring them to transcribe the words of the pledge. When Oliver refused, Arnold gave her a zero for the assignment.

According to an audio recording of the class, Arnold then went on a lengthy diatribe about patriotism and other topics. At one point, he offered to pay for students to move to Europe if they didn't like America but said they would have to pay him back double if they elected to return.

"You know there's a lot of things I complain about, so when it comes time in November, I go vote or I protest in writing and legal. Those are the ways we do it in America," he reportedly said.

In a statement following the settlement, Geoffrey T. Blackwell, litigation counsel at American Atheists, said, "The classroom is not a pulpit. It is a place of education, not indoctrination. This settlement serves as a reminder that students do not lose their First Amendment rights when they enter the classroom."

Nick Fish, president of American Atheists, added, "Nonreligious students often face bullying or harassment for expressing their deeply held convictions. No one should have to endure the years of harassment, disrespect, and bullying [that] our client faced. The fact that this happened in a public school and at the hands of staff who should know better is particularly appalling."

The Houston Chronicle reported that Arnold remains a teacher at Klein Oak High School. He celebrated 50 years with the district in 2020.

Former Klein ISD student wins $90K settlement, reported harassment for not saying pledge www.youtube.com

Teacher who told students to pledge allegiance to gay pride flag has been removed from the classroom



Kristin Pitzen, the California schoolteacher who posted a video to social media of herself instructing students to pledge allegiance to the gay pride flag, has been removed from the classroom.

Pitzen recently posted a video on TikTok, where she revealed that she removed the American flag from her classroom in Orange County because it made her feel "uncomfortable."

Pitzen has been placed on administrative leave, according to the school district.

"We are aware that one of our teachers posted a video on their personal social media that caused alarm and concern related to saluting the American flag," Annette Franco, a spokesperson for the Newport Mesa Unified School District, said.

"Showing respect for our nation's flag is an important value that we instill in our students and an expectation of our employees," Franco continued. "I assure you, we take matters like this seriously and will be taking action to address it."

"The teacher is no longer in the classroom," the spokesperson said. "We follow due process and our investigation continues."

"The school district's policy requires that each school conducts daily patriotic exercises, including the pledge of allegiance, with an understanding that the pledge is an expression of patriotism and pride in the U.S.," KTLA reported. "But individuals may choose not to participate in the flag salute for personal reasons."

Pitzen recently deleted her TikTok account, but it was too late, as the @libsoftiktok Twitter account saved the controversial video and posted it online. The video went viral and has been viewed over 1.6 million times, and the tweet has nearly 6,000 Likes.

"OK, so during third period, we have announcements and they do the Pledge of Allegiance," Pitzen says in the video. "I always tell my class, 'Stand if you feel like it, don't stand if you feel like it, say the words if you want, don't have to say the words.'"

"So, my class decided to stand but not say the words. Totally fine," she continued. "Except for the fact that my room does not have a flag."

Pitzen explained that she removed the American flag from her classroom during the pandemic because "it made me uncomfortable."

"I packed it away and I don't know where, and I haven't found it yet," she said while giggling.

When one of her students asked what they should do during the Pledge of Allegiance, she replied, "In the meantime, I tell this kid, 'We do have a flag in the class that you can pledge your allegiance to.' And he like, looks around and goes, 'Oh, that one?'" She then pointed to the gay pride flag hanging on the wall of the classroom.

The video went viral, prompting comments from thousands who believe the teacher is not patriotic, including former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell, who wrote, "What kind of parent would allow their child to be taught by this wacko? Why are parents turning their kids over to someone they don't know? I'd like to talk to people who think this is good?!?"

After the story went viral online, local residents have placed dozens of miniature American flags and a few gay pride flags on the school grounds.

In another since-deleted TikTok video, Pitzen brags about all of the LGBTQ pride flags she put up in her classroom. "I pledge allegiance to the queers," the teacher says in the video.

She shows off all the pride flags in her classroom and says “I pledge allegiance to the queers” https://t.co/eQXe1OfPoW

— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) 1630102419.0