As the nationwide impact of professional players’ kneeling in protest during the national anthem increases, questions of what might happen to student athletes in Central Florida if they decide to join in have arisen.
The issue of kneeling during the anthem gained further national prominence over the weekend when President Donald Trump addressed them during an Alabama speech Friday night.
“Wouldn’t you love to see these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now,” Trump said during the event.
Trump doubled-down on his stance on Twitter Sunday, calling for NFL owners to punish players who refuse to stand for the national anthem.
“If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our flag & country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!” Trump tweeted.
If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017
While many team owners stood behind their players, with three NFL teams refusing to take the field until after the anthem was played Sunday, the question on a local level is what right, if any, do student athletes have if they want to follow suit.
In Orange County, school officials kept Channel 9 cameras out of the Boone High School football stadium due to the controversy.
Student athletes, though, could be seen from outside the stadium all standing as the anthem played without incident.
Despite this, First Amendment attorney Lawrence Walters told Channel 9 that student athletes actually have more leeway than NFL players, because the latter are private employees.
“The courts have held that a student does not shed his or her rights under the First Amendment at the school house door,” Walters said.
While school districts across Central Florida have reported few, if any, instances of students taking a knee during the national anthem, many have strong opinions on the practice.
“Don’t take a knee when our Stars and Stripes are playing,” Orlando resident Chuck Zell said. “It’s ridiculous.”
Orlando resident Mohamed Benelbasry, though, supported students’ right to protest.
“If that’s how they feel, then I believe there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.
Walters said students have the right to protest, but noted that there are limits to what that extends to.
“They couldn’t scream or yell or do something that would prevent the other people who are participating from hearing the event,” he said.
While Orange County Schools did not want Channel 9 to speak to parents on school property, Shantavia Dovale spoke off campus about her support for athletes' right to protest.
"They're protesting because there's an issue that's going on that they want attention brought to, and they have the specific platform to do that," she said.
Earlier in the day, University of Central Florida football coach Scott Frost said during his weekly press conference that he also supported players' right to kneel for what they belive.
"Those things are gonna happen," Frost said. "There's gonna be social changes in the country, and people have the right to do what they believe."
Today we asked Central Florida school districts whether they have policies about student behavior during the national anthem #WFTV
— Michael Lopardi (@MLopardiWFTV) September 25, 2017
With local high school games this week, we also asked a First Amendment attorney how far student athletes and school districts can go #WFTV
— Michael Lopardi (@MLopardiWFTV) September 25, 2017
Florida High School Athletic Association told me it does not have a disciplinary policy re: nat'l anthem activities, left to districts #WFTV
— Michael Lopardi (@MLopardiWFTV) September 25, 2017
Cox Media Group