“Will Phillips, is a fifth-grade student at West Fork Middle School in West Fork, Arkansas. He is also a student who got into a bit of trouble with the school authorities, especially a substitute teacher who overstepped her boundaries. Not long ago Will came home and told his mother and father, Laura and Jay Phillips, that he was no longer going to say the Pledge of Allegiance at school. He told them that the pledge talked about ‘liberty and justice’ for all, but that he didn’t think this existed for gay people. He told his parents: ‘To say them [the words of the pledge] and not mean them would be a lie.’ But a substitute teacher started getting on his case every day he refused.” (10/14/09)