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Marion County public high school students can be disciplined for kneeling or sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance or national anthem.

But West Port senior Francesca Mitchell is asking the School Board to consider the “new social climate” and allow the protest.

Under the current code of conduct, students must stand unless they have written parental consent.

Some students broke the rule during graduations.

And Mitchell, who leads the NAACP’s Marion County Youth Council, said Thursday that more than a thousand local students joined marches to protest the killings of George Floyd and others.

She said the protests will continue when schools reopen.

She told the board: “We urge you to consider whether we want our schools to be used as a vehicle to punish and penalize students for engaging in the true concept of Americanism or whether this board will find creative ways to transform these moments into a true lesson about democracy and what is good about America.”

At least four of the five board members say they’re willing to talk about changing the rule.