An 11-year-old Black boy was arrested and charged with two misdemeanors after being told by a substitute teacher that he should go back to Africa if he didn't want to pledge allegiance to the flag. The substitute teacher, Ana Alvarez, called the school resource officer to intervene because she didn't want to keep "dealing with him." Then, the sixth-grade child was arrested in front of his classmates for his protest. This unabashed attempt to shame this Black boy for exercising his constitutional right is nothing more than anti-Black racism and State Attorney Brian Haas must do the right thing and drop all charges immediately.

Black children have a right to decline participation in the pledge of allegiance in Polk County, FL public schools. Shockingly, Alvarez admitted to being ignorant of the policy. Good teachers have a variety of tools and can transform difficult conversations into teachable moments. Instead, Alvarez called on agents of state violence. This is unacceptable. Since this horrific incident, Alvarez has been banned from teaching in the district. But that is not enough. If we call on State Attorney Haas to recognize how the anti-Black racism of Alvarez's actions, we can get him to drop all charges against this young student.

In addition to the obvious trauma of being detained in jail as a child, these charges will significantly impact his future educational opportunities and beyond. This is how the criminal legal system funnels black children into the school-to-prison pipeline. However, State Attorney Haas has the ability to stop this now by drop all the charges against this young man. We must call on him to do so.

Here is the Petition:

Dear State Attorney Brian Haas,

On February 4, Ana Alvarez, a substitute teacher, told an 11-year-old Black boy that he should go back to Africa if he didn't want to pledge allegiance to the flag. And then she had him arrested in front of his classmates because she didn't want to keep "dealing with him." He's been charged with two misdemeanors that will significantly impact his future. But, you have the power to drop these charges. This is an example of how the criminal legal system funnels black children into the school-to-prison pipeline. 

Black children have a right to decline participation in the pledge of allegiance in Polk County public schools. Alvarez admitted to being ignorant of this policy. Good teachers have a variety of tools and can transform difficult conversations into teachable moments. Instead, Alvarez called on excessive state violence. Since this horrific incident, Alvarez has been banned from teaching in the district. But that is not enough. We ask that you recognize how the anti-Black racism of Alvarez's actions and that you drop all charges against this young man in the interest of justice.