Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Student Refuses to Recite Mexican Pledge

KRGV.com

MCALLEN - A McAllen teen refused to recite the Mexican pledge of allegiance as part of a recent class assignment.

Brenda Brinsdon says reciting the Mexican pledge felt like an indoctrination. She recorded the teacher asking her to recite the pledge on her cell phone.

A spokesperson for the McAllen Independent School District says the incident involved one lesson on Hispanic culture in America. He says all students in the district recite the American pledge of allegiance every day. The school's spokesperson also says the reciting of the Mexican pledge was only part of a temporary lesson leading up to the Mexican Independence Day on September 16.

Brenda points out her mother is Mexican and her grandfather Jesus Ramirez is from the Mexican city of San Luis Potosi. Her father, William Brinsdon, supports his daughter's stand.

"We've been chipping away at our United States patriotism for a long, long time. This is just another chip," Brinsdon said.

Brinsdon says she got a bad grade for refusing to recite the pledge or sing the Mexican national anthem. She told CHANNEL 5 NEWS she was given an alternative project to write a report on the Mexican revolution. This may be just the first of many stands on principle for her; Brinsdon says she's planning a career in politics.

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TX High School Students Made to Recite Mexican National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ulpnjgb_sQ

Uploaded by on Oct 17, 2011

Students in a Texas public high school were made to stand up and recite the Mexican national anthem and Mexican pledge of allegiance as part of a Spanish class assignment, but the school district maintains there was nothing wrong with the lesson. The presentations in teacher Reyna Santos's class took place during "Freedom Week," the week after the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and on U.S. Constitution Day — the same day as Mexico's Independence Day