New Jersey Middle School Teacher “Reassigned” After Kneeling for the Pledge

The Vineland Public School Board decided this week to reassign a New Jersey middle school teacher accused of “habitually” kneeling every morning during her class’s recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. Needlessly worried about infringing on this jackass’s right to free expression, the school board chose to take her out of her homeroom duties, a punishment that can’t even be quantified as a slap on the wrist.

Making things worse for the teacher – as yet unnamed in public accounts – is the fact that she works at Sgt. Dominick Pilla Middle School, a place specifically named in honor of a U.S. soldier who was killed in Somalia.

“Teachers are paid to educate our students, they’re not paid to indoctrinate our students. What this woman is doing would be bad in any school, but because it’s in the Dominick Pilla School — who gave his life for our military — it’s reprehensible,” one local resident said at a recent board meeting.

“That type of behavior offends me,” said a local veteran at the same October meeting. “I’m not saying anyone needs to agree with everything, but if that is the district’s policy, there should be no teacher taking a knee during the Pledge of Allegiance.”

The president of the Vineland Education Association, Lou Russo, found a way to defend the teacher’s actions.

“It would be one thing if she was proselytizing to kids that you can’t stand, or you shouldn’t stand for this reason, but she’s not doing that,” Russo said.

The district finally came to a decision about what to do with the teacher on Tuesday: They would let Principal Ismael Bermudez reassign her from homeroom duties.

“Like all principals, Mr. Bermudez has the authority to utilize his building staff as appropriate,” said a Vineland spokesman. “The district and the teacher agree that this is a reasonable solution for all parties. 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. We requested a legal opinion from our state affiliate and await its findings.”

Uh-huh. And what religion, exactly, is this teacher practicing when she kneels for the Pledge? Is there some new Colin Kaepernick-focused religion that we’re not aware of?

Where do they find these people?