School Nurse Refuses To Treat Student Because She Wouldn’t Say Pledge Of Allegiance

A public school nurse is under fire for refusing to administer aid to a student who would not say the pledge of allegiance.

An eighth grader at Pennsylvania’s Wilson Middle School in the Carlisle Area School District was so upset about her civil rights being violated that she contacted the American Humanist Association. The unnamed student, according to AHA attorney Monica Miller, says she had gone to her school nurse’s office on April 2 and when the pledge of allegiance took place, she stayed quietly seated.

“Why didn’t you stand for the Pledge?” the nurse demanded to know. 

The student said she had the right to not participate, noting that it is voluntary.

“Fine! Then leave! I have the right to not service you!” the nurse responded loudly.

According to a letter from the American Humanist Association, things did not get better at that point.

“The student reports that she left the nurse’s office in tears and went to the administrative offices to call her mother,” Attorney Miller writes. “A secretary then led the student to an office, but at that time the same nurse appeared again, saying, ‘She isn’t calling a parent until I have a long conversation with her!’ Still sobbing, the student said she only wanted to call her mother.”

“At this point a school counselor arrived and took the student to his office, where the student remained for the first two class periods. Though he showed some sympathy, he also incorrectly instructed the student that she should stand in the hallway if she does not wish to stand for the Pledge exercise! The student politely tried to explain that she is under no obligation to stand in the hallway as such, to which the counselor replied that it was ‘district policy,’ apparently unaware that ‘district policy’ does not trump federal law.”

Calling the school officials’ actions “a serious constitutional violation,” the American Humanist Association is asking the administration for a public, written apology and to ensure these actions are not repeated.

And it offered strong words for the school nurse.

“The actions of the nurse are indefensible, as she provides an example of the kind of overzealous, dangerous patriotism that any true patriot would loathe. The student was left angry and scarred by this mean-spirited hostility, which is only made worse by the fact that it came from a person trusted with the health and well being of students. Moreover, the nurse’s refusal to give the child medical attention calls into question her fitness for the job.”

Raw Story reports that in “a statement, the school system remarked that it was aware of the complaint, and that it was investigating.”

 

Image by simpleinsomnia via Flickr and a CC license
Video via WHTM
Hat tip: David Edwards at Raw Story