May 18, 2012 2 min read

As we discuss the topic of punishment in the case of the Brownsville Area School District student who was ostracized for declining to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, I wonder what type of discipline will be meted out to the true culprits in the case, the teacher who humiliated the student and those who initially supported the teacher, all of whom abandoned common sense and fair play, and forgot the tenets of the country in which they live.

I suppose the idea was to teach the student that we live in such a grand and free society in which liberty is hard-fought and precious that everyone shall be a flag-saluting, Pledge of Allegiance-reciting, hand-over-heart patriot whether they like it or not!

I would not have followed the trail blazed by the student, but I will stand firmly behind her or anyone who wishes to exert their right not to comport with any other individual’s definition of patriotism and being a good American.

It is chilling that someone who is entrusted with shaping young, impressionable minds went so far off track. Such an individual should be under heightened scrutiny as their qualifications to teach have been called into question.

Oren M. Spiegler

Upper Saint Clair Pa.