MO School Teacher Fired For Thanking Students For Saying Pledge of Allegiance
Missouri School Teacher Fired for Thanking Students for Saying Pledge of Allegiance; Was ‘Harmful to Students’
by Neetu Chandak
ST LOUIS COUNTY, MO – A substitute teacher claimed he was not allowed back into a Missouri school after thanking students for saying the Pledge of Allegiance in October.
The incident happened in late October after Parkway South High School made its announcements, which is when the pledge is recited, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Friday.
So at the end of the pledge I said, ‘Thanks to all of you that participated in that. I’m sure that all of those families who lost loved ones so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today would appreciate the effort,’” Jim Furkin said, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Students are not required to recite the pledge. Some students may sit, remain quiet, or even kneel as the pledge is said.
One student asked to go to the counselor’s officer, according to the Post-Dispatch. A school administrator told Furkin a student was “hurt” by the comments made after the pledge.
Furkin has been a substitute teacher at Parkway School District in St. Louis County for nearly 10 years, according to The Associated Press.
“We proudly recite our Pledge of Allegiance in all Parkway schools and classrooms,” Parkway School District Superintendent Keith Marty said in a statement sent to South High parents and staff Friday. “Students choose to participate, which is their right, and our role as educators is not to make a judgment about that choice.”
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