WASHINGTON — A Fairfax County teacher won’t be returning to Centreville High School because of how he responded to a student who declined to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance.
“Following a thorough investigation by my office, the teacher in question will not be returning to an FCPS school,” Superintendent Scott Brabrand said in a statement emailed to WTOP.
A spokesman for the school system declined to comment further about the teacher’s employment status saying Brabrand’s statement stands for itself.
Brabrand said that the school system has apologized to the student and his family for the teacher’s “unacceptable behavior.”
He said he made the policy clear to school staff. Under school district policy, students can choose not to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance and shouldn’t face retaliation of any kind for not participating.
Brabrand also said that there have been other instances of students choosing not to participate in the pledge that did not lead to any inappropriate confrontations. Brabrand’s statement did not identify the teacher.
But the teacher’s attorney Jim Freeman stressed his client’s innocence in the matter.
“Mr. Ferrick has been a teacher with an impeccable record of service to Fairfax County Public Schools for over 32 years. The allegations against him are misleading and without merit,” Freeman said in a statement emailed to WTOP.
A Washington Post report identified the teacher as Richard Ferrick.
According to The Washington Post, the incident at Centreville High School involved a 10th grader who said his decision not to stand for the pledge prompted the teacher to yell at him, pull him from his seat and kick him out of class to stand outside in the cold.
The boy told The Post he hasn’t stood for the pledge since he was in 8th grade when the Black Lives Matter movement endorsed similar behavior to draw attention to racial inequality.
