This kid is a freedom fighter!
Though I will say that my sister actually did this once, publicly, in front of an audience and everything. She didn't receive any consequence for it. So thankfully, this isn't an epidemic or anything, though still very disturbing in this specific case.
Freedom Fighter my foot. That being said, the Supreme Court long ago prohibited mandatory participation in the Pledge of Allegiance in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.
The issue isn't that the kid didn't stand for the flag. The issue is that this kid, who likely had underlying emotional problems, was provoked needlessly by a teacher who didn't get it. That, coupled with the utterly abysmal staff in Florida's Public Schools who are unprepared to deal with kids with problems.
Substitute teacher standards are hilariously low everywhere. The variability in quality is amazing. This is a bad deal because
1) The substitute teacher didn't know the kid
2) Neither did the Dean of Students, necessarily
There were 3 missed opportunities by "trained" adults to deal with the kid. But then if the substitute teacher or dean had touched the kid they'd either be a violent child abuser or sick pedophile predator. Especially in Florida where everyone wants to live with like minded people and still avoid getting to know each other.
Florida literally has antisocial personality disorder.
