Patriotic Force

So now conservatives are for educators forcing their children to act a certain way?

A controversy over the Pledge of Allegiance at an elementary school has divided a small New York town and resulted in the resignation of a school board member.

Rosemarie Troidl told Fox News Radio she resigned as a member of the North Collins School Board after her fellow board members refused to order students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance together.

“We were raised to respect the flag,” Troidl said, suggesting it was an issue of patriotism. “There’s no excuse for the board to have allowed this.”

She said around 250 people have signed a petition asking the school board to change the policy and direct children at North Collins Elementary School to recite the Pledge in unison.

Troidl "pulled a Palin" so she is obviously qualified to be the next President I suppose.

This is yet another example of how conservatives are more than willing to turn anything in to a controversy and make it seem like public schools are destroying our children.

Forced "Partriotism"

This sort of story from a Fox"News" personality is to be expected.

A Maryland public school teacher was punished after she ordered a student to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance.

The incident occurred at Robert Clemente Middle School in Montgomery County, MD. As students rose to recite the Pledge the teacher noticed one child still seated. She asked her to stand and the student refused. Still defiant, the teacher sent her to the office. The following morning, the girl once again refused to stand. This time, the teacher called two school police officers to escort the girl to the office.

Well – that sparked outrage from the girl, her family and the Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. According to the ACLU, the girl was “so traumatized by her teacher’s humiliating and inappropriate reaction that she has not felt comfortable returning to school until the situation is addressed.”

And right on cue, the fine, upstanding population over at Fox"Nation" are clutching their pearls and falling onto the fainting couches.

Here's the problem with this story - a teacher cannot force a student to recite the pledge. But this doesn't stop conservatives from using this as a ham-fisted descriptor that the ACLU, liberal media, and progressivism is destroying America.

The bottom line is that teachers cannot be forced to recite the pledge.