Texas attorney general opposing teen who refused to stand for Pledge of Allegiance

The Texas attorney general is siding with a Katy school board that booted a student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

The office of State Attorney General Ken Paxton submitted a document in support of Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, which is being sued for violating the free speech and denial of due process of former student India Landry.

Landry claims her refusal to stand for the pledge was inspired by NFL athletes who knelt during the national anthem to draw awareness to police violence against African-Americans, reported the Houston Chronicle.

“I felt the flag doesn’t represent what it stands for, liberty and justice for all and I don’t feel what is going on in the country, so it was my choice to remain seated, silently, said Landry. “It was a silent protest.”

'Time-honored tradition' of rising to honor the flag

Paxton’s office filing references a law that allows parents to submit a statement that permits their kids to not stand for the pledge. But apparently Landry’s parents did not sign one.

The document mentions the “time-honored tradition” of rising to honor the flag, citing a Supreme Count finding that government has an interest in preserving “the national flag as an unalloyed symbol of our country.”

Landry and her mother, Kizzy, sued the school district after India was expelled from Windfern High School. The lawsuit claimed the teen had been harassed and sent to the principal’s office for sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance.

“I support her 100 percent and I’m actually proud of her because some people won’t stand up for something like this,” said the boastful mom. “Some people are scared to do this. She’s very brave.”