Staff, Students Debate Pledge of Allegiance requirements
Avery Slaughter and Christina Saad
STAFF WRITERS
At 8:15 A.M., Ralph Bledsoe proudly stood with his hand over his heart as he recited the Pledge of Allegiance in time with the voice over the loudspeakers. The students, standing in rows at their desks, quietly listened while blinking sleep out of their eyes. To an outside observer, it seemed like nobody thought twice about the daily announcement.
At the same time, in Jeffrey Kuchan’s first period class, the band director watched the flag in the corner of the band room as the present students milled about. Some stood; some recited the Pledge in a muted mutter; some sat silently. It didn’t matter to him so long as they showed respect for the morning ritual.
It’s an elementary part of every student and staff member’s day, but the Pledge of Allegiance enthusiastically echoes through the school every morning. Some people don’t think twice about it; some regard it with irritation; some consider it greatly important. After years of the same routine, though, some staff and students in the building have begun questioning whether standing for the Pledge is something students should be required to do.
Currently, there are no federal laws requiring public school students to stand or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Whether or not public schools must say it — and, furthermore, when the students must say it — is decided by the state, and it differs across the country. In Massachusetts, the Pledge must be said first thing in the morning or at the beginning of the school day. Private schools are not held to these standards and may decide by themselves whether or not they recite it.
Because public schools are government institutions, the legality around the Pledge is strict.
When he said the Pledge of Allegiance that morning, AHS Principal Jimmy D’Andrea, channeled his usual cheer, though it wasn’t a particularly notable part of his day. He was enthusiastic about the recitation just as he was every morning — inspiring a bit of joy at the beginning of the day could only be beneficial, after all. He didn’t mind whether or not people stood, nor had he ever, but he recognized the Pledge’s historical significance in the country. Despite the differing regulations across each school he’d worked in, it was a staple in all of them. He would say the Pledge with a smile each morning.
“Public schools were created many years ago for the public good by government agencies,” D’Andrea said, “and so as a result, most of these laws go back well over a hundred years. In this day and age, I don’t know if the same kind of laws would be created, but most [them] have been in the books for a very long period of time.”
While opinions on whether or not students should be required to stand are greatly conflicting, the general consensus seems to be that students should have a choice. Whether or not they should choose to do it out of respect is highly debated, though.
“I think it can’t be a requirement,” Bledsoe said, “but out of respect for the place you live, the people you live with, for the country you live in, out of respect, at least stand.”
Robert Michaud, a history teacher, agreed that you should have the choice but believed the decision was up to personal beliefs. “You’re going to be valued and respected here, as long as you’re not trampling on other people’s values that they have in this situation,” Michaud said.
Some people disagree entirely. Fred Hopkins, a history teacher, suggested that saying the Pledge could possibly promote violence in the country.
“Pledging allegiance is a very serious activity, and what the flag stands for and what it aspires to be are two different things,” Hopkins said, “so when you pledge allegiance, are you supporting all the violence that’s been done by this country and its military, or are you supporting a system of equality and justice, here and abroad, or are you supporting the ideals of freedom and liberty?”
For Kuchan, who taught in a school in Virginia where the Pledge of Allegiance is regarded as extremely important, the Pledge is something to be respected but not enforced. Many of his students in Virginia had veterans in the family or similar military backgrounds, and standing for the Pledge was a meaningful way to pay tribute to that.
“All I ask my students to do is make sure they are respectful during that time, so for those who choose to stand up and say it, they may; for those who choose to sit, they may, as long as they’re not being disruptive,” Kuchan said.
Senior Elina McKenna suggested that being in high school offers more freedom in saying the Pledge. When the Pledge was recited over the loudspeakers that morning, she didn’t pay it any mind. Most of the people in her class had a similar level of apathy regardless of whether they stood or remained seated. To her class, it seemed to be an inconsequential part of their day at best and a mild annoyance at worst. McKenna said that in elementary and middle school, standing and saying the Pledge felt required by the teachers. That pressure is now less intense at AHS, and as a result, people don’t feel it’s necessary to stand and recite it.
Wes Ong, a junior, agreed. “I haven’t heard anyone saying it in a long time. Sometimes the teacher will say it, but quietly,” Ong said.
So, should students be required to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? There’s no clear answer, but most seem to agree it’s purely up to personal preference. The Pledge has been an omnipresent part of the school day since reconstruction after the Civil War and will likely be around for a long time, but having the personal freedom to choose to stand or not to stand is a great representation of our rights as citizens in the United States of America.
