ELK GROVE, Calif. – September 25, 2017 – Through symbolic acts during the playing of the national anthem, professional, college and high school athletes across the United States are participating in and contributing to a dialogue on race and equality in our country.
The Elk Grove Unified School District and its schools support standing for the national anthem and the expression which that act stands for in the hearts of many Americans. This is a personal issue, however, and EGUSD respects and supports our students’ individual experiences and their right to exercise their freedom of speech and expression protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
As such, whether EGUSD student-athletes stand or kneel during the playing of the anthem, we support their right to peacefully express their opinion on a matter of personal significance. Those athletes who choose to respectfully and peacefully take a knee during the anthem do not violate any EGUSD or school rule and will not be disciplined in any way for such actions.
About the Elk Grove Unified School District
The Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) is the fifth-largest school district in California located in southern Sacramento County. EGUSD covers 320 square miles and includes 67 schools: 42 elementary schools, nine middle schools, nine high schools, five alternative education schools, an adult school, one charter school and a virtual academy. Offering a multitude of educational programs, including over 70 career-themed academies and pathways within 15 industry sectors, we prepare our students for college and career by supporting them with the means to be creative problem solvers; self-aware, self-reliant, and self-disciplined; technically literate; effective communicators and collaborators; and engaged in the community as individuals with integrity. We integrate rigorous academics with career-based learning and real-world workplace experiences and ensure that Every Student is Learning, in Every Classroom, in Every Subject, Every Day.
For more information about the Elk Grove Unified School District, please visit www.egusd.net and follow us @ElkGroveUnified on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Eventbrite.
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