WASHINGTON — The ACLU of Maryland is urging Baltimore County Public Schools to update their policies after an 11-year-old Catonsville student was reprimanded for kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance.
In a letter to the school district, the ACLU outlines an incident involving sixth-grader Mariana Taylor, who silently took a knee next to her desk during the Pledge of Allegiance Feb. 25.
“I decided to kneel because there is a lot of things I really don’t agree with in the country happening — racism, sexism and the person in the White House, particularly the [border] wall — it’s not OK,” the 11-year-old said in an ACLU statement. “I feel like it’s important to stand up for what I believe in, and I want to inspire other people to do it, too.”
According to Mariana and another student, Mariana’s teacher confronted her about kneeling, saying that rules require that she stand during the pledge, and “inappropriately sought to talk her out of kneeling,” the ACLU said.
Subsequent meetings among the teacher, student and school officials revealed that there was confusion about whether students are allowed to kneel or sit quietly during the pledge, said Jay Jimenez, legal associate for the ACLU of Maryland.
“We definitely believe that Baltimore County Public Schools wants the best for their students,” he said, “but we just want to ensure that this situation doesn’t happen again — that there’s a clearer policy, so that students, teachers and all staff know exactly what are the rights of students and their right to silently protest in schools without causing a disruption, including kneeling.”
Jimenez noted that such incidents are not unusual, and that the ACLU is anticipating even more, citing, for example, a Harford County, Maryland, school district’s reaction to a student walkout over gun violence.
In a statement from Baltimore County Public Schools’ Dolores Pierorazio, the district said it knows of no student “who has been reprimanded or punished for non-participation in patriotic observances.”
She added, “Our board policy clearly states that ‘we care for every student and encourage the building of self-esteem. We will continue to do so in the area of student self-expression.”
WTOP’s Melissa Howell contributed to this report.
