Ugly ('Palestiam'-) American
'Palestinian' American girl sues school after refusing Pledge of Allegiance
By Vivian Ho The Washington Post
Published June 27, 2025
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The father of a 14-year-old Michigan student is suing his daughter's school district and teacher on her behalf, alleging she was repeatedly humiliated and told to "go back to your country" when she refused to stand for and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The complaint was filed Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the Arab American Civil Rights League acting for Jacob Khalaf on behalf of his daughter, Danielle Khalaf, who is a U.S. citizen of Palestinian descent. She was attending East Middle School in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools District at the time of the incident.
According to the complaint, Danielle was protesting deaths in Gaza caused by the Israel Defense Forces and the role of the U.S. government in the war when she decided to remain seated for the Pledge of Allegiance for three days in January.
Each time, her teacher disrupted the class to admonish her, telling her she was being disrespectful to the flag and U.S. military forces, the complaint said. Attorneys with the ACLU of Michigan and Arab American Civil Rights League said it was a violation of the student's First Amendment right to free speech and the right to express her political views.
After Danielle approached her teacher to speak to her privately regarding her reasons for protesting the Pledge of Allegiance, the teacher said: "Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don't like it, you should go back to your country," the complaint alleges.
The teacher could not be immediately reached for comment. A representative with the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools District told The Washington Post that the district was unable to comment due to pending litigation.
The complaint states that the school district sent the teacher a "corrective action notice" regarding her comments expressing her beliefs "as to why students should stand for the Pledge of Allegiance," saying that they were in "direct violation" of what was discussed at a staff meeting following the student's first protest.
"It is disturbing that a teacher who is trusted to teach our children would succumb to such insensitivities to one of her students knowing that the student is of Arab Palestinian descent, and knowing of the many deaths overseas in Gaza of family members of Palestinians living in metro Detroit, that she would add insult to injury and call the student out for simply exercising her constitutional right not to partake in the Pledge of Allegiance as a sign of protest," Nabih Ayad, an attorney with the Arab American Civil Rights League, said in a statement.
Ayad added, "That teacher most definitely should have known it is every student's right in this country to not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance regardless of your personal views."
The complaint comes after the student had identified herself publicly as Danielle Khalaf at a February news conference about the situation. Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Superintendent Monica Merritt wrote in a letter to students and their families on Feb. 27 that the teacher was immediately placed on leave and "appropriate action" was taken following a review and investigation, but did not provide any further details of what that action entailed. The district had facilitated restorative practices between the teacher and students "to address any harm [and] foster understanding," Merritt said.
In Wednesday's filing, the school district is accused of failing to properly follow up, supervise or investigate the teacher's conduct, in addition to failing to implement appropriate policies and trainings for their teachers that protected their students' First Amendment rights.
Danielle suffered "extensive social and emotional injuries" because of her teacher's reaction to her protest, the complaint states, including "recurring nightmares," "high levels of stress" and "social injuries," it said.
"It was traumatizing," Danielle said at the February news conference.
The lawsuit is seeking a declaratory judgment that the school district and teacher had violated the student's First Amendment rights and an injunction discouraging them from doing so again, in addition to compensatory damages.
Michigan is home to a vibrant Arab American and Muslim population, with more than 310,000 residents of Middle Eastern and North African descent, according to the U.S. Census from 2020. These communities have been vocal in their opposition to Israel's war in Gaza, with some saying they would not vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, ahead of the 2024 presidential election, given her ties to the Biden administration and its support of Israel. Donald Trump ended up winning the state by more than 80,000 votes.