OCALA - Last summer's federal court ruling forbidding school districts to force students to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance has finally trickled down to Marion County Public Schools.
The School Board and district administrators decided they had to remove the "standing" requirement from the code of student conduct.
Kathy Richardson, executive director of student services, told the School Board on Thursday that the decision means they cannot force a child to stand for the salute to the American flag.
However, a student who chooses not to stand must "act in a manner that's dignified of patriotic observances." In other words, they cannot be disrespectful of that observance or they could be punished.
"This really doesn't impact our district whatsoever," said Superintendent of Schools Jim Yancey.
Yancey said most children have always stood and recited the pledge without any problems. The ones who did not stand usually didn't have a problem with the pledge itself but were upset and being defiant, Richardson said.
The School District has always respected a child's freedom of religion. Some parents have told School District officials that their religion doesn't allow them to pledge allegiance to anyone or anything.
The School District still made those children stand, though they didn't have to participate in the pledge itself. Osceola Middle School Principal John McCollum III said the issue has been touchy.
McCollum said many principals, who were informed of the wording change at a recent principal's meeting, were not in favor of the new wording and actually felt they should still make standing a requirement.
But School District officials, backed by School Board attorney Beverly Morris, told the principals that since a decision was upheld in a federal appellate court it was necessary for them to honor the ruling.
"It was tough for me to take," McCollum said, adding the School District administration was adamant that they had to remove it for legal reasons. McCollum later began looking at all sides of the issue.
He said that being Americans gives us numerous rights, including the freedom of speech. If you forced everyone to stand, then a part of a person's freedom is gone, "whether we like it or not."
Jeffrey Askew, executive director of Marion County Veterans Services, believes the School District is correct to abide by the federal court ruling.
But Askew said those who choose not to stand must also remember that millions of American soldiers gave them the right to make that choice to sit or stand.
"They need to acknowledge that our veterans made sacrifices in order to have those freedoms," he said.
