OPINION
High school athletes in western North Carolina will be allowed to disrespect the National Anthem by taking a knee.
Television station WLOS reports that Buncombe County and Asheville City Schools will consider such disrespect as a form of “silent expression.”
“Our guidance to teachers and coaches regarding this issue is: Kneeling on the football field during the anthem or even kneeling in the school as a form of silent expression is protected free speech,” a district spokesperson told the television station. “We use the standard of disruptive or non-disruptive in order to decide how to respond. As long as an act of expression is not disruptive to the school day or event, administrators do not get involved.”
Asheville City Schools took a similar position pointing out “it’s a very real possibility that some of our student-athletes may choose to take a knee during the national anthem.”
“However, in no way will our school district inhibit their ability to do so, as we believe it is a form of free speech protected by the First Amendment,” read a statement provided to the television station.
There was a time in American history when public schools taught children to love their country and respect our customs and traditions. But those days are long gone.
“In Asheville City Schools, we place a great value on the thoughts and feelings of our students,” ACS Spokesperson Ashley Thublin wrote in an email to the Citizen Times.
I doubt they took into consideration the thoughts and feelings of the U.S. military veterans in attendance at those football games when the players en masse disrespect America.