Florida teacher suspended after video shows him berating student who sat for Pledge of Allegiance
MANATEE COUNTY, FLORIDA: A teacher was removed by a Florida school district after he was recorded using racist rhetoric to berate a student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. A TikTok video that was circulated amassed over 1,60,000 views as of Friday, September 23. A spokesperson for Manatee County Schools told Insider that an investigation has been launched into the matter by the district.
In the video, a male teacher at Bradenton High school was caught berating a student who appears to be Latino for apparently refusing to stand up and salute the flag. The video that surfaced had the caption, "my friend didn't stand for the pledge and this what the teacher said."
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"You are gonna sit there on your b**t?" the teacher furiously asks the student, who refuses to respond. "If you want to do something, just get up and do it," the teacher adds. "I will defend my country to the very end." "I won't hurt you," the teenager then says.
The teacher appears to be WHITE. In response to the student's remark, he says, "Then go back to your ... where are you from? Mexico or Guatemala? Where?" "I was born here," the student replies. "You were born here? And you won't stand up for the flag?" the teacher says as he throws his hands in the air. The video then ends.
A spokesperson for the Manatee County School District confirmed that the teacher in the video has been removed from the school. He has no contact with the students now. The matter is being investigated by the school district's Office of Professional Standards. "The School District of Manatee County strongly condemns any language or behavior that degrades, humiliates or insults any individuals — most especially the young people, families and community we have the privilege of serving," the district said in a statement.
It is important to note that it is a constitutional right of students at public schools and universities to express "symbolic speech" by sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance or National Anthem. However, certain states, including Florida, require K-12 students to have parental permission to not stand up during the pledge, the state law says.
It says, "When the national anthem is played, students and all civilians shall stand at attention, men removing the headdress, except when such headdress is worn for religious purposes." The law adds, "Upon written request by his or her parent, the student must be excused from reciting the pledge, including standing and placing the right hand over his or her heart. When the pledge is given, unexcused students must show full respect to the flag by standing at attention, men removing the headdress, except when such headdress is worn for religious purposes."