Players kneel during national anthem at Glen Burnie High homecoming game

On Friday night during Glen Burnie High School's homecoming football game, three players kneeled during the national anthem.As the majority of players lined up along the field with their hands over their hearts while the school's band played the anthem, three kneeled just behind the line.After the game, Glen Burnie coach Eric Woodson said county policy states as long as players are being respectful, they're allowed to kneel.&quot;That's their freedom of speech and the county is backing that,&quot; Woodson said.One of the players declined to comment when asked about kneeling.Glen Burnie won the game, beating North County High School, 34-12.In an email Saturday, Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesman Bob Mosier reiterated the system's support of student-athletes kneeling.Students are allowed to exercise free speech &quot;in ways that do not violate the Code of Student Conduct or disrupt the educational process or school-sponsored activities,&quot; Mosier wrote.&quot;One of the most precious freedoms guaranteed to the citizens of our great nation is the freedom of speech,&quot; he wrote. &quot;That freedom is not contingent on universal acceptance, nor even of understanding. As a school system, it is our duty to educate our children about the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, not to dictate actions related to those freedoms.&quot;This isn't the first time a county student has kneeled during the anthem.&quot;We have had several instances since the school year began, just as we have had instances of adult spectators at events declining to remove their hats for the playing of the anthem,&quot; Mosier said.They've allowed students to kneel &quot;without making a spectacle of it and have encountered no issues,&quot; he said.The National Football League has faced backlash recently over players kneeling during the anthem.The national movement was sparked by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is protesting police brutality against African-Americans and other people of color. Kaepernick sat during the anthem at an exhibition game in 2016, and then began kneeling during the anthem. Other NFL players have followed in his footsteps.Some people support the protests — others have called the actions unpatriotic, saying it is disrespectful to the country and the American flag.Some members of local American Legion posts, along with local NFL fans, were offended by Ravens taking a knee for the anthem at their London game on Sept. 24.Players kneeling during the anthem have been criticized by President Donald Trump in recent weeks, who has encouraged his supporters to boycott the NFL because of the protests.Staff writers Bob Hough and Selene San Felice contributed to this story.

Players kneel during national anthem at Glen Burnie High homecoming game

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