A high school teacher who was caught on camera using racist language to chastise a pupil for not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance was fired by a Florida school system.
By Friday, a TikTok showing the Wednesday event had accumulated more than 160,000 views. Manatee County Schools’ spokesman informed Insider that the system has opened an inquiry into the situation.
The kid, who looks to be Latino, is reprimanded by a male instructor at Bradenton High School for ostensibly refusing to stand and salute the flag. “My buddy didn’t stand for the pledge and this is what the instructor stated,” the video’s description reads.
You intend to recline on your butt, right? The youngster is questioned fiercely by the instructor but remains silent.
The instructor continues, “Just get up and do it if you want to accomplish anything. “I will fight to the very end to protect my nation.”
The adolescent replies, “I won’t injure you.
The instructor, who looks to be white, suddenly exhibits xenophobia.
“Return to your home after that. Where are you from? Guatemala or Mexico? Where?”
The pupil answers, “I was born here.
“Did you develop here? And you’re not going to defend the flag?” Before the video concludes, the instructor answers by raising his hands in the air.
The instructor shown in the video was expelled from the school the day of the incident, according to a Manatee County School District official, who did not provide any other information regarding his name.
According to the spokesperson, the instructor no longer interacts with pupils, and the Office of Professional Standards for the school system is looking into the incident.
The Manatee County School District issued a statement saying that it “strongly opposes any language or conduct that denigrates, humiliates, or insults any person, most importantly the young people, families, and community we have the honour of serving.”
It is legal for students at public colleges and universities to stand or sit during the National Anthem or Pledge of Allegiance in order to engage in “symbolic speech.” However, according to state law, certain states, like Florida, require K–12 children to obtain parental consent in order to decline to stand during the pledge.