Karen Smith charged with ‘child abuse’ for busting pupil who refused to stand for Pledge of Allegiance
Karen Smith is the teacher who allegedly assaulted a pupil who did not stand for the US Pledge of Allegiance, the classroom staple written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister’s son from upstate New York. (He went on to work in advertising.)
The BBC says Miss Smith has been charged with “child abuse – recklessly and with injury” and with third-degree assault. It is alleged that when the kid didn’t stand for the Pledge at Agevine Middle School, Colorado, the gym teacher pulled the child up by their jacket and walked them out the classroom.
Local school officials say students can sit or stand during the pledge. Federal law permits students to sit.
The school district released a statement to parents after the arrest saying they “are co-operating with the District Attorney’s Office and respect their decision on this matter”.
“We are unable to comment further because it remains a personnel matter that the school district is actively investigating.”
One site calls it an act of “political violence against a child”. I’d be more interested in who called the police. And there’s the religion. The part of the Pledge about the US being a nation “under God” was added in 1954, following a campaign by a Catholic outfit called the Knights of Columbus and others.
The school has sent out a missive:
Dear Angevine Middle School Families,
I hope everyone is having a good evening.
I am reaching out to you tonight to let you know that we will have a substitute teacher working with some of our PE classes for the time being.
While I cannot share much information, following an incident today at school, Ms. Smith was placed on paid administrative leave. We are working closely with our partners at the Lafayette Police Department. We believe in due process and therefore ask that everyone respect Ms. Smith’s privacy at this time.
We are dedicated, as always, to supporting our students and ensuring that we have qualified educators working with them during their physical education time.
Thank you for your patience and support. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mike Medina
Principal
Angevine Middle School
Question: who’d want to be a teacher? What would a pledge look like in UK schools?
Posted: 15th, February 2018 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
