Science Forums 2

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by dannieyankee

I'm in Law Class, and the first thing my law teacher told me was that NO, YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO DO THE PLEDGE. If teachers tell you to, all you have to do is say that according to US Law, no one is required to say the Pledge of Allegiance. The only thing you're required to do is be respectable and QUIET for the people around you that DO want to pledge.

I agree – though practice may differ from principle.

As I described in post #32, my experience 1960-1975 was that, per 1943’s West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette SCOTUS decision, reciting the Pledge was in fact entirely voluntary.

There’ve been enough reports from people with more recent experience, that I suspect that some US public schools are out of compliance with the law. Such things do happen, and can be very trying (no pun intended) for those involved.