A Texas school district being sued by a black student who was kicked out for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance received support from the state attorney general Tuesday.
Ken Paxton backed the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District as it battles the lawsuit. Kizzy Landry sued the district on behalf of her 18-year-old daughter, India, after India was kicked out of Windfern High School in October 2017 for refusing to stand for the pledge.
India Landry said at the time she was inspired by NFL players who decided to kneel during the national anthem to protest perceived racial injustices, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“I felt the flag doesn’t represent what it stands for, liberty and justice for all and I don’t feel what is going on in the country, so it was my choice to remain seated, silently,” she said. “It was a silent protest.” India said she protested the Pledge about 200 times without incident. Then she engaged in the protest while in her principal's office.
“Principal Strother upon seeing this immediately expelled India from school saying ‘Well you’re kicked outta here,’” the lawsuit complaint states. A school secretary then allegedly added: “This is not the NFL.”
While parents in Texas could sign a waiver allowing their kids to sit for the pledge, Kizzy Landry claimed forcing schoolchildren to recite the pledge violates their free speech. Paxton argued, “School children cannot unilaterally refuse to participate in the pledge,” the Dallas Morning-News reported. “Requiring the Pledge to be recited at the start of every school day has the laudable result of fostering respect for our flag and a patriotic love of our country,” Paxton said in a statement. “This case is about providing for the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance while respecting the parental right to direct the education of children.”
Landry has not returned to the school and missed her graduation, KHOU reported. The case is set to go to trial April 15.