GULFPORT, Miss. – A Mississippi high schooler was threatened with suspension and demerits by his principal for refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, his mother claims.

The mother of a ninth-grade student at West Harrison High School claims principal Dana Trochessett singled out her son and grilled him with questions about whether he’s a Jehovah’s Witness after the boy refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance since school started in August, the Sun Herald reports.

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Neither the woman nor the student was identified in media reports, but the mother met with school board members in executive session on Monday, a meeting that was closed to the media and representatives from two civil rights organizations – Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition and the Mississippi Rising Coalition – that also attended because of the issue.

The mother told the Sun Herald Troschessett “forced” her son to stand for the pledge against his will by requiring him to report to the school office each morning and threatening the boy with suspension if he did not comply. She also claimed Troschessett targeted her son because she believes the boy is a Jehovah’s Witness.

“That is none of her business,” the mother said of her son’s religion. “It doesn’t matter what we are.”

The mother told the media the student and his siblings have respectfully refused to stand for the pledge throughout their academic careers, and it was never an issue until her son entered the high school this year.

The boy hasn’t stood for a pledge since fourth grade, WREG reports.

“It is one thing to disagree with what someone says, but to use your power within the school to punish, threaten to punish or imply punishment is an abuse of that power,” Mississippi Safe Schools advocate Anna Davis said. “It is definitely not creating safer schools and communities nor encouraging young people to think for themselves. A teacher and especially an administrator has the ability to intimidate whether or not they mean to, which just makes these kinds of abuses that much worse.”

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Trochessett refused to discuss the situation with WREG or the Sun Herald.

The boy’s mother initially voiced her concerns about her son’s treatment to Trochessett, then the superintendent, and finally addressed the school board on Monday.

The board refused to discuss the issue during the open portion of the meeting, and instead met with the mother behind closed doors for an executive session.

“After the boy’s mother emerged from the closed session, she said the problem was resolved,” the Sun Herald reports. “Her son would no longer be forced to stand, or go to the principal’s office, during the morning Pledge, she said.”

Superintendent Roy Gill confirmed on Tuesday that the matter was resolved, and said the school district does not have a policy that requires students to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

He also admitted to WREG that school officials should have handled the situation better.

The student’s mother told the Sun Herald her son’s protest has nothing to do with the protest against America started by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and mimicked by students across the nation.

“He was doing this before any football player decided it meant something,” she said.

The mother requested anonymity to avoid bringing unwanted attention to her son, she said.