A Letter to the Principle

byiPhoneGirl

364 followers

9 years ago

My amazing 13 year old daughter goes to a pretty rough school. She's having issues with fellow classmates not standing for the Pledge of Allegience. Unedited, this is a copy of the letter she wrote to the principle.

3 April, 2017

Dear Mr. Principle,

I’m concerned about the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of the school day. I have no problem standing up for the Pledge of Allegiance; my problem is that I’m the only one standing up. This has been happening for quite a while now. My fellow students say it is because Trump got elected as president.

When the morning announcements come on over the intercom, I stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Texas Pledge. As I am saying these, everyone else in the room is just sitting there or talking. There have been few times when I’m not alone, sometimes other people stand up also. But for 80% of the time, I am standing by myself. Authorities, like Ms. Tates, have come in and told people to stand up. But as you can imagine, that only lasts for the time that she is in the room.

I have also gotten a lot of backlash and hate comments pointed towards me, most that I have ignored. Things like, “She likes Trump”, or “You serve Trump”, have been said. I have also had an experience where someone reminded me to stand up. As I say the pledge, I hear behind me, “Why did you tell her to stand up?” “Because she always stands up”, “But why?” “Her brother is in the military.” Later on I hear, “I don’t care if her brother is in the military, I would rather fight against this country!”

I don’t stand just because my brother is fighting over seas; I stand up because I love my country. I have heard of other countries that don’t have as many rights, definitely not the ones that I have. I can’t even imagine what it is like to live in those places. I am thankful for the rights I have and the country I live in. This is not about “Liking Trump”; this is about loving the country I live in.

There is no excuse for not standing up. These people just think this is about Trump, or they’re just plain lazy. Either way, they should be ashamed of themselves. While people walk around this school doing and saying inappropriate things, they are not disciplined for not standing up for the Pledge of Allegiance. The school handbook states you must have a note to be excused from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Thank you Mr. Principle for your time.

Respectfully,

Elyse Williams

I am amazed at how far the political turmoil in this country goes. Even more than that, though, I'm amazed there are still children like this and that I'm blessed enough to have one call me Mom.

- Jennife