ASB President Brandon Hall-Picasso Refuses the Pledge

In response to the results of the presidential election, Samo Associated Student Body (ASB) President, Brandon Hall-Pascascio, refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance, and refused to allow others to recite it during second period announcements on Thursday, Nov. 10. Activities Director Bryn Boyd has pulled Hall-Pascascio from announcement duty until further notice.“I did this, because I felt like as ASB President, I wanted to make a statement,” Hall-Pascascio said. “I wasn't feeling patriotic at the moment, along with many others, so I felt that skipping the pledge would make those who felt strongly about the election know that someone else on campus understood their feelings.”ASB Activities Director Bryn Boyd, who says she respects Hall-Pascascio’s decision to not recite the pledge, requested that he have another ASB member say the Pledge before the announcements, but Hall-Pascasio ignored her request.“As a leader, it is important to provide the opportunity for others to stand and say the pledge. I do not think it was appropriate for Brandon to ignore my request that we would find someone else to say the pledge if he wasn't comfortable doing it,” Boyd said.California Education Code 52720-52730 says that on every school day, there shall be at least one patriotic exercise performed, and saying the Pledge of Allegiance satisfies these requirements.“When we don't do [the Pledge] we are not abiding by the law, and that might have been something Brandon was not aware of,” Samo Principal Dr. Antonio Shelton said.Dr. Shelton and Hall-Pascascio met on (need date here) to discuss the matter.Samo students have noticed the ASB President’s voice missing, and chatter has spread throughout the campus. ASB Secretary Collin Ferrara (’17) has his own opinion on Hall-Pascascio’s protest.“I think Brandon had the right to do what he did,” Ferrara said. “It is in his 1st Amendment [rights]; he has freedom of speech. But I believe that giving students the opportunity to say the Pledge is critical to maintaining a patriotic environment.”Dr. Shelton said that he would like Hall-Pascascio to reflect on the consequences of his actions before he returns to announcement duty.“We want Brandon to reflect over how him not leading the Pledge affected the whole of the school. I honor and recognize his stand to not say the Pledge, but struggle when it impacts the whole,” Shelton said.