​A Maine school district in Falmouth has reportedly changed its policy after a lawsuit filed by a father and son about the Pledge of Allegiance in classrooms. The Portland Press Herald reported that Christopher Hickey filed suit on behalf of his 10th-grade son Clayton, alleging the Falmouth School Department was violating its long‑standing policy and state law by not providing daily opportunities to recite the Pledge in high school.

The lawsuit claimed that the pledge occurred regularly in the district’s elementary and middle schools, but high school students had not participated for two years. District leadership told Fox News Digital that families are encouraged to raise questions and concerns about district policies, and that reciting the Pledge is an option at Falmouth High School.

“At Falmouth High School, students are welcome to say the Pledge of Allegiance if they choose,” Falmouth Schools Superintendent Steve Nolan said in a statement. “Now that this matter has been brought to our attention, we have taken steps to provide an opportunity during the school day for students who wish to say the Pledge of Allegiance to do so during a designated time.”

Statute §4010 states that “a school administrative unit shall allow every student enrolled in the school administrative unit the opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at some point during a school day in which students are required to attend. A school administrative unit may not require a student to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.”

The district’s policy also notes that an American flag will be flown on school grounds on school days and will be visible in every classroom. “Furthermore, an opportunity must be provided, during the school days for which students are required to attend, for students and staff to recite the Pledge of Allegiance,” the policy adds.

Hickey’s attorney, Jack Baldacci, said in a statement that despite Nolan’s preference to resolve the matter without litigation, the district would not have changed without the suit. “The district had ample time to correct this longstanding omission on its own and failed to do so,” Baldacci wrote. “We are glad the district is now complying, and we hope this marks the beginning of a renewed commitment to the robust civic education every student deserves.”  

​You can now listen to Fox News articles. The U.S. Coast Guard has opened a criminal investigation into the disappearance of an American woman who was last seen in the Bahamas, a Coast Guard official confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday. Lynette Hooker, 55, of Michigan, reportedly went missing Saturday while traveling by boat with her husband Brian Hooker, 58, according to Bahamian officials. She reportedly fell into the water and was carried away by the current, according to Brian. Bahamian authorities have since launched extensive search-and-rescue operations, spanning marine, land, and aerial areas. Efforts have included the use of drones and professional divers to locate Hooker. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. An Arizona girl who vanished at 13 and was long feared abducted has been found alive — now living a quiet life as a married mother of three working for a private investigations company, according to a report.. Christina “Tina” Marie Plante, now 45, is living in Springfield, Missouri, more than 1,100 miles from where she disappeared in 1994, where she built a new life after leaving home as a teenager, according to the Daily Mail.. The outlet reported Plante married as a teen, raised three sons and later earned a psychology degree from Missouri State University. She now works in a supervisory role for a Springfield-based firm that investigates insurance fraud, according to the Daily Mail.. She shares a five-bedroom home with her husband of nearly three decades, Shawn Hollon, a software engineering manager.. ARIZONA GIRL LAST SEEN WALKING TO STABLE BEFORE VANISHING FOUND ALIVE DECADES LATER, AUTHORITIES SAY. Hollon told the Daily Mail that his wife has been processing the renewed attention after being identified and said she had shared her story with him before they married in 1998, though he declined to discuss the details publicly.. Authorities say Plante has been reluctant to provide specifics about how she disappeared.. FAMILY RAMPS UP SEARCH FOR MISSING COFFEE SHOP OWNER, MOTHER OF TWO, URGES PUBLIC TO CHECK CAMERAS. Gila County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jim Lahti told the Daily Mail that Plante has not explained who she was with when she left or how she managed to get out of town. He said she acknowledged running away and indicated she had contact with another family member at the time.. FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X. Plante was last seen around midday on May 15, 1994, leaving her home in Star Valley after telling others she was heading to a nearby horse stable. When she didn’t return, the case was classified as missing and endangered under suspicious circumstances.. SIGN UP TO GET TRUE CRIME NEWSLETTER. Her disappearance prompted an extensive search and years of investigation, with early concerns that she may have been abducted. Those fears were never confirmed, and the case eventually went cold.. SEND US A TIP HERE. Decades later, a cold case team reopened the investigation using modern tools, including social media and public records, ultimately identifying Plante and confirming she was alive.. LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST. “I guess she wasn’t happy with where she was living and who she was living with, and she ran away,” cold case investigator Capt. Jamie Garrett told NewsNation.. LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? FIND MORE ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB. “I was dumbfounded,” Garrett added. “I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh. OK, so you ran away.’ I told her, ‘You know, we were under the impression that somebody kidnapped you. It was deemed a criminal offense.’”. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP. Authorities say the case is now considered resolved.. While  

​NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!. A string of killings across the United States involving suspects in the country illegally is fueling renewed outrage from lawmakers and immigration officials, who warn the violence is not an isolated trend but the result of systemic enforcement failures.. National Border Patrol Council Vice President Art Del Cueto told Fox News Digital the crisis has been building for years, arguing that millions were allowed into the country without proper vetting.. “It will not be the last—it’ll be more,” Del Cueto said. “We do not know what their intentions were… and then you have people in this country that are perfectly comfortable with these individuals roaming around the streets.”. Republican leaders are now calling for sweeping changes from aggressive deportation efforts to stricter interior enforcement as high-profile cases continue to mount.. Here are five recent cases driving the national debate:. Missouri teen begged for his life in alleged ambush killing. The killing of 15-year-old Miles Young in Missouri has become a flashpoint in the national immigration debate after prosecutors say he was lured into a trap and executed.. Authorities allege suspect Yefry Archaga, 18, chased the teen and shot him as he pleaded, “I just don’t wanna die.” Archaga is being held on a federal immigration detainer.. MURDER SUSPECT ON ICE HOLD ACCUSED OF LURING TEEN INTO DEATH TRAP WHERE VICTIM’S FINAL PLEA WENT UNHEARD. Sen. Eric Schmitt blasted the case as part of a broader pattern.. “We are done sacrificing American sons and daughters at the altar of mass migration… We are going to relentlessly pursue the largest deportation operation in American history.”. Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital the killing highlights policy failures.. “In a premeditated and heinous act, 15-year-old Miles Young was targeted, lured, and ambushed—his life senselessly taken by someone who should never have been in this country,” Harris said. “This heartbreaking tragedy is yet another example of sanctuary city policies’ deadly consequences.”. Other Missouri officials echoed the outrage, arguing the killing underscores failures to remove dangerous individuals.. Illegal immigrant accused of killing wife in Dallas as ICE issues detainer. An illegal immigrant is accused of killing his wife in Texas, prompting federal officials to intervene to ensure he is not released.. Francisco Mendez-Marin, 24, is charged with felony homicide after authorities say he slit the throat of his 20-year-old wife, Karla Rangel, during a domestic dispute in Dallas. The couple had been married less than a month.. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED OF MURDERING WIFE IN TEXAS JUST WEEKS AFTER MARRIAGE, ICE FIGHTS RELEASE. Police say Mendez-Marin was found with blood on his clothes and a bloody pocketknife at the scene. Body camera video shows him telling officers, “I didn’t do anything bad” and “I was obligated to do it,” according to the arrest affidavit..  

​A former FedEx driver who murdered 7-year-old Athena Strand told investigators he “kind of tossed” her into the woods after killing her, according to interrogation video shown to jurors as they weigh whether he should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. The footage captured the moment officers pressed Tanner Horner about the missing Texas child’s whereabouts after searching his home for signs of the young blonde-haired girl. “I can show you,” Horner, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to capital murder, told investigators. When one officer asked, “Is she alive?” Horner replied: “She wasn’t alive when I put her in the truck.” After authorities were unable to find her, Horner told police that he “Just kind of tossed her in.” Horner, 34, initially claimed he had accidentally hit Athena with his delivery truck, but he has since admitted to strangling the girl after abducting her while delivering a package to her father’s home in Paradise, Texas.

The hours of evidence shown to jurors Wednesday came as prosecutors used opening statements to paint Horner as calculating, violent and remorseless in the killing of Athena. “First thing Tanner Horner says to Athena when he picks her up, puts her in that truck, leans down, and he says, ‘Don’t scream or I’ll hurt you,’” prosecutor James Stainton told jurors in opening statements Tuesday. “I’m going to tell you right now. One thing you’re going to hear that is something you can’t unhear is the level of fight that a 7-year-old girl has. When she’s facing down a certain death.” Stainton also said that the FedEx driver may have sexually assaulted the young girl. “We have DNA. Not only do we have initial DNA from Athena that has Tanner Horner’s DNA under her fingernails. We also have Tanner Horner’s DNA in places where you shouldn’t find DNA on a 7-year-old girl,” Stainton said in court.

Prosecutors said the evidence would show Horner covered a camera, threatened Athena, and carried out a prolonged attack inside the truck before dumping her body in a rural area near Boyd, Texas. Horner then returned to work, drove the same truck and continued delivering packages as the community searched desperately for the missing child. Defense attorney Lindsay Thompson told jurors Horner had suffered from brain damage.