Texas Student Suspended for Refusing to Stand for Pledge of Allegiance

A Texas high school student was disciplined for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Needville High School sophomore Mason Michalec received a two-day in-school suspension when he refused to stand and recite the Pledge along with his classmates.

“I’m really tired of our government taking advantage of us,” Michalec told KHOU. “I don’t agree with the NSA spying on us.” He said he was tired of laws restricting free speech on the Internet as well.

Via Fox News:

The 15-year-old has refused to stand for the Pledge for most of the year, but he ran into trouble when a different teacher noticed he was staging a silent protest.

“And she told me, ‘This is my classroom. This is the principal’s request. You’re going to stand,'” Michalec told the station. “And I still didn’t stand and she said she was going to write me up.”

Michalec said that after he was punished with two days of in-school suspension, the principal warned him that he would face more suspensions if his protest continued.

Residents seem to be divided over Michalec’s actions. One person told KHOU the teen should stand up because “the soldiers are out there, they’re doing their job.”

However, one local veteran disagreed:

“The kid’s well-spoken and he’s well-informed,” said Needville neighbor Dean Reese. “It’s not like he’s ignorant, he’s not doing it to make people mad. He’s doing it because of his personal beliefs.”

Reese believes punishing Mason for speaking his mind, sends the wrong message.

“I’m a veteran, I’m not real big on flag-burning or anything like that, but this country is a free country and we’re free to do what we want,” he said.