Arab-American teen who sat for Pledge of Allegiance reaches settlement with Plymouth-Canton Schools

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Reposted by Kevin M. Kruse
https://bsky.app/profile/kevinmkruse.bsky.social

Hemant Mehta
‪@friendlyatheist.com‬

A 14-year-old girl knew her constitutional rights better than her teacher.

She sat during the Pledge to protest the war in Gaza.

Her teacher humiliated her, even saying "go back to your country."

She sued.

The district just paid up.

https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/palestinian-teen-bullied-by-teacher

Palestinian teen bullied by teacher over Pledge protest wins legal settlement
Danielle Khalaf was humiliated by her teacher after she refused to stand for the Pledge. She sued. The result is a huge victory.
www.friendlyatheist.com
9:19 AM · Mar 28, 2026

A 14-year-old girl knew her constitutional rights better than her teacher.

She sat during the Pledge to protest the war in Gaza.

Her teacher humiliated her, even saying "go back to your country."

She sued.

The district just paid up.

www.friendlyatheist.com/p/palestinia...

— Hemant Mehta (@friendlyatheist.com) 2026-03-28T13:19:08.258Z

Arab-American teen who sat for Pledge of Allegiance reaches settlement with Plymouth-Canton Schools

By David Komer | Published March 26, 2026 2:46pm EDT | FOX 2 Detroit |


Danielle Khalaf

The Brief
• A lawsuit by an Arab-American girl against her school district who sat for the Pledge of Allegiance has been settled.
• Danielle Khalaf said she was admonished for sitting in reaction to the conflict in Gaza by her teacher, including being told to ‘go back to her own country.’
• As part of the lawsuit, the school district is clearing her student record and providing diversity, sensitivity and First Amendment training.

FOX 2 - An Arab-American middle school student who said she was admonished for sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance has settled a First Amendment free speech lawsuit.

The backstory:

Danielle Khalaf said she was the target of racism after choosing not to stand at East Middle School in Plymouth. The teen claimed the teacher singled her out and told her to "go back to her country."

On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the Arab American Civil Rights League announced the lawsuit has been settled.

The 14-year-old middle school student of Palestinian descent who, in reaction to events in Gaza, remained seated and silent while her classmates rose to recite the Pledge of Allegiance on Jan. 10. ... "She called me out in front of the entire class saying what I did was disrespectful," said Danielle Khalaf said in a press conference last February. "She told me that since I live in this country and enjoy these freedoms, if I don’t like it, I should go back to my country. It crushed me. It broke me."

{snip}

[tishaLA]

1. She should: have held out for more than $10k

That's outrageous behavior and she should make the district feel like same kind of pain she felt because of the teacher's actions.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. Taxpayers end up footing the bill.

The ACLU writes a letter pointing out that the teacher is wrong. The DA quickly agrees. Get it over with.

And good morning.

[erronis]

3. A post from The Guardian. And WTF happened to the bigoted teacher?

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/28/michigan-student-protesting-gaza-war-school-settlement

After the pledge, DK said that a teacher told the class that "anyone that was sitting down was being very disrespectful to soldiers, to America". DK said she tried to explain her view to the instructor but was told that if she did not like the US, she should go back to her own country. DK later left the room in tears.

The Arab American Civil Rights League and the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan later filed a lawsuit in June 2025 against the Plymouth-Canton community schools district on behalf of DK.

As a part of the recent settlement, the Plymouth-Canton community schools district has pledged to provide diversity, sensitivity, and first amendment training for staff. The district has also agreed not to punish DK, remove any indication from school files that suggest her protest was inappropriate and provide needed counseling.

That person who is trusted to deliver good lessons to our children should be removed, penalized, and have a mark that follows him/her throughout their career.