Last October, then-17-year-old India Landry was in the principal’s office of her Texas high school when the school intercom crackled. It was time for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Her classmates stood nearly in unison all over Windfern High School, outside Houston. But Landry stayed seated and did not recite it. Principal Martha Strother, according to court filings, reacted. “Well, you’re kicked outta here,” she told Landry.
The school secretary keyed on the symbolism of the act by Landry, who is black.
“This isn’t the NFL,” she said, the filing shows, connecting Landry’s actions to protests led by former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality.
Landry was expelled, but then was allowed back into school days later, court filings show.
A long legal battle ensued between Landry, now 18, and school district officials. The suit was filed by Landry’s mother, Kizzy Landry, who claimed that the school violated constitutional protections of free speech, due process and equal protection.
Now, the Texas attorney general has intervened in the federal case and defended a Texas law that Landry has challenged as unconstitutional. It requires students to recite the pledge, or get a parent’s or guardian’s permission if they wish to opt out.
“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,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday. Twenty-six other states have similar statutes, Paxton said.
His comment included a not-so-subtle nod to a popular Republican attack on the NFL protests echoed by President Trump – that they disrespect the American flag and, by extension, troops and veterans.
Ten days before Landry refused to stand and recite the pledge, Trump suggested that NFL owners should fire players who kneel. “Before this case, never one time did I hear of any school forcing kids to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance,” Landry’s attorney, Randall Kallinen, said.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.