Teacher kneeling during pledge gets reassigned in attempted compromise

Deborah M. Marko
The Daily Journal

VINELAND – A Vineland Public Schools teacher who opts to kneel during the Pledge of Allegiance is now assigned to duties outside the classroom during morning announcements, school officials said.

Public objections voiced at the Oct. 2 school board meeting sparked a conversation about teachers’ First Amendment rights when it comes to possible influence on their students.

One of the objectors, city resident Ron Maccri, told the school board the teacher’s reported “taking a knee” was bringing a political agenda into the Sgt. Dominick Pilla Middle School classroom and he believed that violates district policy on staff political activities. He called the action “reprehensible,” noting the school bears the name of a local U.S. Army Ranger killed Oct. 3, 1993 while on a mission in Somalia.

File photo

The teacher, who has not been publicly identified, did not indicate anything “political” about her views, Joe Rossi, the district’s executive director of personnel, told The Daily Journal. There’s been no public disclosure as to why the teacher feels compelled to kneel.

Objectors called for a stop to the teacher’s classroom observance.

District officials, reviewing policies on teacher’s rights and a ban on in-school political activities, sought a solution that would fair to all involved.

And the Vineland Education Association called the issue a “good opportunity for us all to have a lesson on civics.”

It appears a compromise may address all concerns.

Pilla school Principal Ismael Bermudez “reassigned homeroom oversight so the teacher would have alternate duties during opening announcements,” Rossi said when contacted on Tuesday.

“Like all principals, Mr. Bermudez has the authority to utilize his building staff as appropriate,” Rossi said. “The district and the teacher agree that this is a reasonable solution for all parties.”

The VEA agreed.

“It is a reasonable compromise that balances a school employee's free exercise of their religion versus a parent's concern of how that free exercise may influence their child,” the union president Lou Russo said. “We requested a legal opinion from our state affiliate and await its findings.”

Maccri could not be reached for comment.

The teacher’s kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance appears to be an isolated incident with Rossi saying he was unaware a similar situation elsewhere in the district.

Deborah M. Marko is a senior reporter with The Daily Journal. Currently focused on breaking news and education issues, she also oversees community outreach programs that promote literacy and public safety. Got a story idea? Call 856-563-5256. Follow on Twitter: @dmarko_dj Instagram: deb.marko.dj Help support local journalism with a The Daily Journal subscription.

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