EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – An Oregon school district sent a letter to five high school staff members advising them not to engage in political expressions at work after they took a knee during the national anthem at a student assembly.
The Register-Guard newspaper reports that the Eugene School District sent “the letter of directive” after the June 1 incident at Winston Churchill High School.
School district spokeswoman Kerry Delf says it wasn’t disciplinary, declining to identify the employees and whether or not they’re teachers.
Delf cited no official law or school district provision but said employees are expected to refrain from unacceptable political activities when students are held as a captive audience.
Kneeling has become a political statement ever since professional athletes defied the tradition in protest of police brutality against blacks.
About Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill had a long career in the British government. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. He died at the age of 90 in 1965.
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” — Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, November 11, 1947
KOIN 6 News contributed to this report