A South Carolina high school freshman was “disbelieving” after hearing the news.
The parents of a South Carolina ninth-grader claim their daughter was bullied because she did not stop to recite the Pledge of Allegiance on her way to school.
The student, identified as Marissa Barnwell, gave an interview to reporters on Thursday, explaining her conduct by stating she was simply walking quietly to class at River Bluff High School in Lexington, South Carolina, and did not want to stop for the pledge or a minute of silence. Teachers at the school allegedly confronted her, yelled at her, and threw her against a wall.
Barnwell stated, “I was utterly astonished, and I cried, ‘Get your hands off of me,'” to the instructor.
Barnwell, who was 15 at the time, was humiliated when she was escorted to the principal’s office and told she was in trouble.
Barnwell was sent back to class after the discussion, but the principal didn’t inform her that the teacher had been incorrect to approach her and hold her against the wall during the Pledge of Allegiance.
When asked about his feelings, Barnwell allegedly said, “I was entirely and utterly disgraced,” as reported by The State. “To my knowledge, no one has shown sorrow or sympathy for my suffering… The school’s apparent support for such abhorrent behavior is incomprehensible.”
Barnwell’s parents claimed in a federal court lawsuit that their daughter’s First Amendment and civil rights had been infringed by a teacher at River Bluff High School, the principal at Barnwell’s high school, Lexington School District 1, and the South Carolina Department of Education.
More than 30 years ago, South Carolina legislators enacted a rule forbidding punishment for children who reject to say the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools in the state, provided that they are not being disruptive.
A lawyer for the family, Tyler Bailey, said that children should be allowed to exercise their First Amendment rights.
Liberty is “the great thing about the United States,” Bailey said. Our classrooms should be safe spaces where no kid is threatened for exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights.
Lexington School District 1 issued a statement indicating their attorney is preparing a response to the complaint but has not spoken further.
The website for the school indicates that both the accused teacher and principal are still working there.