A Florida man was so shocked by a "Pledge of Allegiance" waiver sent home from school with his niece that he posted a picture of it on Facebook that has since gone viral with more than 20,000 shares.

Micah Brienen said his niece brought home a form that read: "I understand my rights as a parent and I request that my child, noted above, be excused from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This request includes standing and placing his/her right hand over his/her heart." 

The child's mother was not pleased either and returned the waiver back to school with her opinion written on the form. "This is the dumbest thing I have ever read and I am so ashamed of this." 

Breinen wrote on Facebook, "What is happening to our country?!?"

The response on Facebook has been encouraging.

"Never in my life have I been more encouraged to be an American citizen and Patriot," he said.  

Several people simply responded with "Wow" or "Seriously?"

Another person responded "I love the response on the request! So let me get this straight: To become a citizen, you have to learn and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights; but we do not require American children in public schools to pledge their allegiance to their country flag?"

One mother observed: "Omg seriously? Just another example of 99% of us having to jump through hoops for the 1% who are offended. Boo hoo"