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The ACLU of Michigan and the Arab American Civil Rights League have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that a middle school teacher in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools District repeatedly and publicly humiliated a 14-year-old Palestinian-American student because she refused to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance in protest of the war and deaths in Gaza.
The ACLU, which identifies the student only as D.K. of Canton, said in a lawsuit filed on June 25:
“The ongoing armed conflict in the Gaza region of Palestine is a source of great distress for Plaintiff, D.K., a 14-year-old student at East Middle School in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district.
“On three separate occasions, D.K. decided to quietly, and without disturbing her class, remain seated during the class recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.”
The suit continues:
“D.K. and her parents are of Palestinian descent, and at the time, D.K. was—and remains—highly disturbed by the thousands of deaths in Palestine that were caused by the Israeli Defense Forces. D.K. believes that the deaths caused by the Israeli Defense Forces in Palestine were financially supported, and either implicitly or expressly supported, by the U.S. government.”
Bonsitu Kitaba, interim legal director for the ACLU of Michigan, said in a statement:
“The right to freely speak—or not speak—is a form of protest that is fundamental to a well-functioning democracy, even when its exercise creates controversy or makes others uncomfortable. As we see heightened attacks on our civil rights and liberties across the nation, the ACLU will remain vigilant in its fight to protect the rights of all people who wish to protest today and those whose rights will need protection tomorrow.”
In one instance, after D.K. declined to stand or recite the Pledge, the teacher disrupted the class and admonished her in front of her classmates, according to the suit. Soranno, the teacher, told D.K. that remaining seated was disrespectful to U.S. military forces and the flag and that she should stand. D.K. refused.
The suit says the school district issued a “corrective action notice” to Soranno, which states:
“During the week of 1/6–1/10/2025, you made multiple comments expressing your beliefs as to why students should stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.”
The notice goes on to state:
“This is a direct violation of what was discussed at the staff meeting dated January 6, 2025.”
The suit alleges the school district did nothing further to protect D.K.’s First Amendment rights.
Three days later, on Jan. 9, D.K. again declined to stand or recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and the teacher again admonished her. On Jan. 10, she again refused to stand, and the teacher once more admonished her, the suit says.
After class, D.K. privately told the teacher that she had "sincere and serious concerns about the role that the United States has played in the continuing violence in Gaza," the suit says. Soranno then stated, according to the suit:
“Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don’t like it, you should go back to your country.”
The suit states that as a result of Soranno’s actions, D.K. suffered extensive emotional and social injuries, including an inability to sleep, recurring nightmares, a more guarded demeanor, and high levels of stress.
“Her weakened emotional state has compromised her physical health, and she suffered what her pediatrician described as 'the worst case of pneumonia that physician had seen in more than a year,’” the suit says.
Mark Fancher, staff attorney for the ACLU of Michigan’s Racial Justice Project, said in a statement:
“When you consider the controversial nature of the issue that our young client chose to address, along with the toxic political climate and hostility that are characteristic of this period, we can only marvel at the conviction and incredible courage it took for her to follow her conscience and her heart.
“It is tragic that, while we always hope our schools will encourage young people to be independent, critical thinkers, D.K.’s teacher and the school district failed her not only by violating her First Amendment rights, but also by humiliating her for daring to exercise them.”
Giarmarco, Mullins & Horton of Troy, the law firm reprsenting the school district, declined comment on Wednesday morning. Attempts to reach the teacher through social media were unsuccessful.
