In January 2025 a 14-year-old student of Palestinian descent at East Middle School in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district chose to express her personal distress and concern about tragic, violent events in Gaza by, on three separate occasions, remaining seated during the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Although she caused no disruption or disturbance of the classroom environment, her teacher admonished her in front of her classmates and scolded her, stating that the student was being disrespectful to U.S. military forces and the flag. On the third and final occasion that Plaintiff remained seated, the teacher told her she should be ashamed of herself. After class, when the student attempted to engage the teacher in a discussion about her motivation for remaining seated–specifically her concern about U.S. complicity in the violence, the teacher responded: “Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don’t like it, you should go back to your country.” As a result of this treatment, the student was emotionally devastated. She experienced loss of sleep, recurring nightmares and high stress levels. She also experienced some degree of social isolation, and her academic performance was negatively impacted. The ACLU of Michigan sued the teacher and the school district on the student’s behalf for violation of her First Amendment rights. (D.K. v. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools; ACLU Attorneys Mark P. Fancher and Bonsitu Kitaba-Gaviglio; Cooperating Attorney Nabih Ayad of the Arab American Civil Rights League.)
BREAKING NEWS
Juan is free!
