A frustrated Pasco County mother has filed a lawsuit alleging the school district broke the law when a teacher at Wiregrass Elementary School reprimanded her 6-year-old son for kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance.
State law says students are not required to participate in the Pledge, and districts must formally notify families of their right.
The lawsuit says this did not happen.
Eugenia McDowell's son decided to take a knee during the Pledge in September. She received a text message from her son's teacher, informing her that she’d instructed the child stand up for the Pledge, calling it disrespectful to do otherwise.
In Pasco County Schools, the code of conduct says parents can request an exemption in writing from their child's participation in the Pledge or the National Anthem. McDowell had submitted no such request.
Review the code of conduct in each Tampa Bay school district below:
School districts and codes of conduct
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