Discover Top Posts Tagged with #recite this

I'm seeing a lot of case law flying around to reassure students that teachers and administrators can't punish you for refusing to say the pledge, but it's often tangentially related and isn't the best case to reference. All you need to know is West Virginia Board of Education v Barnette. It asked: Does compulsory flag salute for public schoolchildren violate the First Amendment? The answer is: YES.

"If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein." - Justice Jackson

So when your teachers or administrators challenge you, you need only say, "West Virginia Board of Education v Barnette" Say it with me: West Virginia Board of Education v Barnette West Virginia Board of Education v Barnette

"According to West Virginia Board of Education v Barnette, I am protected by my First Amendment rights from being compelled to say the pledge." I'd love to see a CLASSROOM FULL OF KIDS reciting this to their teachers, instead of the pledge. Good on you guys. Edit: Please note, this is for PUBLIC schools. Private school is different. Ask a lawyer.