A Louisiana high school has threatened to punish students on its football team who protest the national anthem at any of their upcoming games.
“Parkway High School requires student athletes to stand in a respectful manner throughout the National Anthem during any sporting event in which their team is participating,” principal Waylon Bates wrote in a letter addressed to athletes and their parents. “Failure to comply will result in loss of playing time and/or participation as directed by the head coach and principal.”
Continued refusal to follow the directive would lead to their removal from the team, Bates added.
“Parkway High School is committed to creating a positive environment for sporting events that is free of disruption to the athletic contest or game,” he said.
The decision sparked a backlash on Twitter, specifically because the school is a public institution.
The ACLU tweeted that the Supreme Court ruled “that students don’t have to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.”
“That goes for the national anthem on the ballfield too,” the rights and liberties organization wrote on social media.
The Supreme Court ruled that students don’t have to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance—that goes for the national anthem on the ballfield too. https://t.co/ijNa3tn1U0
— ACLU (@ACLU) September 28, 2017
The dispute follows a heated national discussion perpetuated by President Trump’s repeated calls for the NFL to reprimand players who kneel during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
