Substitute teacher ‘was banned from school after thanking students who stood for the Pledge of Allegiance’
Teacher Jim Furkin, 66, thanked students for standing for the Pledge of Allegiance but at least one student who did not stand felt singled out and bullied
The student complained they were ‘hurt’ and singled out by his remarks
After the incident officials told him he could no longer work at Parkway South
Furkin said the staffing agency told him that he wasn’t being allowed back because he had ‘bullied’ a student but can work at other schools in the district
By LEAH MCDONALD
DAILYMAIL.COM
17 November 2018
A long-time substitute teacher was told not to come back to his school in Missouri after he thanked students for standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Teacher Jim Furkin, 66, thanked students for standing for the pledge but at least one student who did not stand felt singled out and bullied.
It is a school district where school board members stand and recite the pledge at every meeting and where the Parkway South nickname is ‘Patriots.’
‘The PA announcer says please rise for the pledge of allegiance,’ Furkin told Fox 2. ‘I say let’s go. The kids get up, 24 kids in class and 22 got up.
‘There are always two or three who don’t stand up because it’s not required. So at the end of the pledge I said thank you very much, all of you that participated. I appreciate that.
‘I’m sure all of those families that lost loved ones so we could have the freedoms we have today would appreciate that, too. That’s what I said’.
One student asked to go to the counselor’s office, Furkin said. Later a school administrator questioned Furkin about what happened and told him that a student had been ‘hurt’ by what was said after the pledge.
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