UPDATE::Elmira school district: Students can sit during Pledge of Allegiance | Star-Gazette | stargazette.com

“The first I have heard of any allegation such as this was in the letter sent to the district (Tuesday) from The Appignani Humanist Legal Center, indicating that a female sophomore had reported such a claim,” Elmira Superintendent Hillary Austin said in an email Wednesday.

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The statement read, in part: “As a general matter, the District is very well aware of each student's right under United States Supreme Court and Second Circuit Court of Appeals precedent to decline participation in the Pledge. The District also welcomes community dialogue on freedom of speech, civic engagement, and the right to be free from political compulsion. ”

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Austin said the district does plan to respond to the association.

• The district’s email to staff outlined the following points:
• Students cannot be compelled to salute the flag, recite the pledge, or even stand in silence.
• Students cannot be excluded from the room during the pledge.
• Students must be permitted to sit quietly during the pledge

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• District employees may not retaliate against students who opt out and should appropriately take and refer complaints from students regarding any inappropriate behaviors without taking sides in the debate,,,
• All students may have opinions on the matter and may express those opinions in appropriate settings and at appropriate times,,,

Elmira school district: Students can sit during Pledge of Allegiance | Star-Gazette | stargazette.com

Group Condemns Teacher Who Allegedly Bullied Atheist Student For Opting Out Of Pledge

Another student "not standing" for her rights,,,

The American Humanist Association condemned New York's Elmira City School District on Tuesday for allegedly breaching an atheist student's constitutional right to opt out of reciting the school's daily Pledge of Allegiance.

The Southside High School sophomore, who took issue with the pledge's "under God" clause, sought legal assistance from the secular advocacy group after her high school teacher reportedly threatened her with disciplinary action if she did not rise for the daily oath.

According to an AHA press release Tuesday, she was also told by the teacher "in front of her classmates that not standing for the Pledge 'is disrespectful to America and to military personnel.'"

The latest allegation is not an isolated incident at Southside, however, the AHA claimed.

"Pledge exercise at Southside High goes beyond just the classroom mentioned above. We have been informed that teachers -- and even an administrator -- in your school have inappropriately pressured students to participate in the Pledge exercise," Tuesday's letter stated. "For example, students have been told that nonparticipation is disrespectful and unpatriotic, that nonparticipation would itself be disruptive, and that participation is expected because nonparticipation would encourage others to opt out."

Group Condemns Teacher Who Allegedly Bullied Atheist Student For Opting Out Of Pledge