Meadowview Middle School: Administrator requires students to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance

During the 2025-26 school year, the principal at Meadowview Middle School in Hamblen County, Tennessee, threatened to issue demerits to students who refused to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance and then followed through on that threat, issuing demerits to several students who remained seated to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the area. 

On December 15, FIRE wrote the school, reminding officials that the First Amendment protects every student’s right to decline to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance and calling on the principal to rescind the unconstitutional mandate and any punishments already imposed.