Lansing Catholic spells out stance on anthem, Pledge of Allegiance kneeling

Eric Lacy | Lansing State Journal

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Lansing Catholic football players kneel for anthem Last fall, four Lansing Catholic football players knelt during the national anthem at games. They did it as a form of protest. They sought reforms from the school to fight racial injustice.

UPDATE: Football coach confirmed Tuesday evening school officials have decided to no longer discipline students who kneel during the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem.

LANSING -- Nearly 10 months since controversy struck Lansing Catholic High School, officials have now stated in writing their position on kneeling during the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem.

All students are expect to stand, including varsity football players who kick off their season at 7 p.m. Friday with a home game against Waverly.

The school's 2018-19 student handbook, posted on its website, lists standing for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance under "expectations for student behavior."

In a section entitled "Respect for God & Country," the handbook reads "contributing to and being a good steward within each community that you belong; standing for prayers, the national anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance."

The handbook, however, doesn't explain how students will be disciplined if they kneel.

That school officials put their stance on kneeling into the handbook appeared to be news Monday to the Catholic Diocese of Lansing.

Michael Diebold, a diocese spokesperson, said the Rev. Earl Boyea, Bishop of Lansing, asked last spring for member schools to be lenient with students who may violate a policy if they kneel.

"That has not changed," Diebold said Monday.

Lansing Catholic is one of 33 member schools within the diocese. Classes at the high school begin Wednesday.

It was unclear Monday if Lansing Catholic stated a position on kneeling during the pledge or anthem in its 2017-18 student handbook. An archived version of the handbook couldn't be found on the school's website.

Messages left for Tom Maloney, superintendent for the diocese's catholic schools, weren't returned. He was Lansing Catholic president during the 2017-18 school year.

Last year, some Lansing Catholic football players knelt during the national anthem, joining the effort begun by several pro athletes to protest racial discrimination in the United States.

A protest is scheduled for Friday's game by a group of people who oppose school officials' stance on anthem and pledge kneeling. The group has a Facebook page called "Support students in peaceful activism."

Larry Kirchhoff, 47, of Lansing, is the group's organizer and said Tuesday school officials shouldn't take a position on kneeling because it prohibits students from expressing themselves.

Kirchhoff, who is white, said the school's stance against kneeling is racist and appeals to target African-American students because they were the only ones who decided to kneel during the 2017-18 school year.

"To me it's almost a contradiction to what they say they are teaching," Kirchhoff said of school officials.

Kirchhoff has a daughter at Lansing Catholic who is a sophomore and a son who graduated from the school last spring.

He owns All Star Mechanical in Lansing and said it's been a challenge of the years paying tuition that runs about $8,000 per student.

The kneeling controversy at Lansing Catholic began Oct. 6 before the football team's seventh game of the season against Ionia.

Four of the school's football players had their playing time reduced by coach Jim Ahern at the game because they planned to kneel during the national anthem. The four players began the game on the bench.

Players continued to kneel at games throughout the season, drawing attention in the community and in national media.

Messages left Tuesday afternoon with Ahern weren't returned.

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Those who supported the Lansing Catholic players' right to kneel last fall before games included former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick and the Lansing City Council members.

Council members honored the four players in December with a resolution that described them as the "Lansing Catholic High School 4."

Diocese officials created last spring an 18-member diversity task force to help promote diversity and educate the community about racism and discrimination. Players who knelt at games pushed for that in a letter sent to officials.

The task force was created by Boyea after about 150 people marched and picketed in front of the diocese's offices in January.

Of the four Lansing Catholic football players who knelt during games last fall, only one is back this year at the high school — Kabbash Richards, a senior.

Richards is a member of the diocese's diversity task force.

Former Lansing Catholic football players Michael Lynn III and Matthew Abdullah transferred to Lansing Sexton and Holt high schools after the 2017 football season.

Both graduated last spring.

Lynn is a freshman quarterback this fall at Concordia University, an NAIA school in Ann Arbor.

Abdullah attends Mount Union, a Division III school in Alliance, Ohio. Abdullah wrote Monday in a Facebook message he hopes to join the football team next season as a walk-on.

Roje Williams also graduated last spring and is currently a freshman at Division III Olivet College. He is expected to join the cross country and track teams.

Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.