Buncombe County Schools website explains why it adopted a new policy:
All Schools Schedule Daily Pledge of Allegiance
For decades, the vast majority of schools in Buncombe County have encouraged students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day. They have been doing this out of a sincere desire to promote a healthy respect for the American flag and the "republic for which it stands." School officials and Board members did not realize there was actually a North Carolina statute REQUIRING daily recitation of the pledge at all schools, including high schools--some of which had reserved the recitation of the pledge for weekly "homeroom" or "mentor" time, and at school assemblies and other appropriate occasions.
This week, Buncombe County School officials learned that such a law does in fact exist (see below for exact wording of the statute). Within hours of learning of the existence of the law, Buncombe County Board of Education Chairman Steve Sizemore asked Superintendent Baldwin to ensure that all schools immediately become compliant with the law by scheduling recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance on a daily basis. Principals received phone calls and emails to this effect, and the few not already doing so immediately instituted the daily Pledge. Further, Chairman Sizemore instructed the school system attorney to prepare a Board policy requiring the scheduling of the Pledge in all schools on a daily basis. The policy will go before the Board at their September 1 regularly scheduled meeting.
Below is the actual statute the new Board policy will reflect:
G.S. 115C-47(29a) To Require the Display of the United States and North Carolina Flags, and to Require the Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. – Local boards of education shall adopt policies to (i) require the display of the United States and North Carolina flags in each classroom, when available, (ii) require that recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance be scheduled on a daily basis, and (iii) provide age‑appropriate instruction on the meaning and historical origins of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. These policies shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If flags are donated or are otherwise available, flags shall be displayed in each classroom.
---------UPDATE----------
A post on the ACLU of North Carolina website says the following:
[quote]Pledge of Allegiance Statute -- After the passage of Session Law 2006-137, which amends several North Carolina statutes pertaining to the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in state public schools, the ACLU-NCLF received several complaints from parents and teachers who contend that children in North Carolina public schools are being compelled to recite the Pledge and are not being informed that they have the right to refuse to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge, even though North Carolina law clearly provides that a public school “shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance.” As a result, the ACLU-NCLF sent a letter to the State Superintendent, the Chairman of the North Carolina Board of Education and Lt. Governor Purdue, asking those state officials to immediately instruct all North Carolina Boards of Education to ensure that all public school principals and teachers are aware of this aspect of the law. The State Board Chairman responded, ensuring that all North Carolina superintendents and principals would again be notified that students and teachers may not be compelled to recite the Pledge. [/quote]
Session Law 2006-137 was signed into law in 2006.
---------------------
Asheville Citizen-Times reports on Aug. 26:
[quote]Buncombe County school officials are working on a policy requiring time be set aside time each day for the Pledge of Allegiance.
The move comes after a complaint that students at Reynolds High were not reciting the pledge daily.
Officials said Thursday they were unaware of a 2006 change in state law mandating time be allotted for the pledge and requiring individual school boards have a policy on the matter.
“It was my understanding that, regardless of what the law had said, the practice in our schools was to recite the pledge,” said Steve Sizemore, chairman of the school board. “Luckily, someone brought to our attention that this was not being done, and we rectified the situation within a day.”...[/quote]
Read the full article
All Schools Schedule Daily Pledge of Allegiance
For decades, the vast majority of schools in Buncombe County have encouraged students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day. They have been doing this out of a sincere desire to promote a healthy respect for the American flag and the "republic for which it stands." School officials and Board members did not realize there was actually a North Carolina statute REQUIRING daily recitation of the pledge at all schools, including high schools--some of which had reserved the recitation of the pledge for weekly "homeroom" or "mentor" time, and at school assemblies and other appropriate occasions.
This week, Buncombe County School officials learned that such a law does in fact exist (see below for exact wording of the statute). Within hours of learning of the existence of the law, Buncombe County Board of Education Chairman Steve Sizemore asked Superintendent Baldwin to ensure that all schools immediately become compliant with the law by scheduling recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance on a daily basis. Principals received phone calls and emails to this effect, and the few not already doing so immediately instituted the daily Pledge. Further, Chairman Sizemore instructed the school system attorney to prepare a Board policy requiring the scheduling of the Pledge in all schools on a daily basis. The policy will go before the Board at their September 1 regularly scheduled meeting.
Below is the actual statute the new Board policy will reflect:
G.S. 115C-47(29a) To Require the Display of the United States and North Carolina Flags, and to Require the Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. – Local boards of education shall adopt policies to (i) require the display of the United States and North Carolina flags in each classroom, when available, (ii) require that recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance be scheduled on a daily basis, and (iii) provide age‑appropriate instruction on the meaning and historical origins of the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance. These policies shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance. If flags are donated or are otherwise available, flags shall be displayed in each classroom.
---------UPDATE----------
A post on the ACLU of North Carolina website says the following:
[quote]Pledge of Allegiance Statute -- After the passage of Session Law 2006-137, which amends several North Carolina statutes pertaining to the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in state public schools, the ACLU-NCLF received several complaints from parents and teachers who contend that children in North Carolina public schools are being compelled to recite the Pledge and are not being informed that they have the right to refuse to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge, even though North Carolina law clearly provides that a public school “shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance.” As a result, the ACLU-NCLF sent a letter to the State Superintendent, the Chairman of the North Carolina Board of Education and Lt. Governor Purdue, asking those state officials to immediately instruct all North Carolina Boards of Education to ensure that all public school principals and teachers are aware of this aspect of the law. The State Board Chairman responded, ensuring that all North Carolina superintendents and principals would again be notified that students and teachers may not be compelled to recite the Pledge. [/quote]
Session Law 2006-137 was signed into law in 2006.
---------------------
Asheville Citizen-Times reports on Aug. 26:
[quote]Buncombe County school officials are working on a policy requiring time be set aside time each day for the Pledge of Allegiance.
The move comes after a complaint that students at Reynolds High were not reciting the pledge daily.
Officials said Thursday they were unaware of a 2006 change in state law mandating time be allotted for the pledge and requiring individual school boards have a policy on the matter.
“It was my understanding that, regardless of what the law had said, the practice in our schools was to recite the pledge,” said Steve Sizemore, chairman of the school board. “Luckily, someone brought to our attention that this was not being done, and we rectified the situation within a day.”...[/quote]
Read the full article
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Is it just me, or does the wording of this statute seem contradictory?:
"...and to Require the Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
These policies shall not compel any person to... recite the Pledge of Allegiance. "
So, the recitation of the pledge is required, except no person is required to recite it. Got it.
By brebro
08/25/2011
Fair enough. I do wonder what the courts might say about refusing to say "under God", as that part was added in 1954 as a result of far-right McCarthyist commie paranoia.
By boatrocker
08/25/2011
"Political Sub-Kommandants will be dispatched by the Reichstag to ensure that all Youth are properly indoctrinated to the State."
When will these fools learn that love of country cannot be forced, but earned?
By Barry Summers
08/26/2011
Hopefully it will be challenged and struck down. Barry Summers is right.
By Dionysis
08/26/2011
The only thing mandatory is that schools set aside time each day to do the Pledge, not that students are forced to recite it. (I don't know about standing for it, though)
Again, I suppose my upbringing was weird but I don't remember too much hullabaloo over my refusal to recite in high school, nor the refusal of others for their reasons (often religious, we had a few Jehovah's Witnesses).
By mat catastrophe
08/26/2011
As a parent of two Buncombe County Schools elementary students, it has always bugged me that the children are expected to participate in the daily recitation of a pledge, to a flag, under god. Opting out is not on offer, I can assure you.
If only the folks who are insisting the Pledge be intoned every morning were equally committed to ensuring liberty and justice for all, the whole thing would be much more palatable.
By Susan Andrew
08/27/2011
Gotta be sure you're properly "under God" (the Right one) before you qualify for the perks.
By Barry Summers
08/27/2011
Susan, the state law is quite specific: "These policies shall not compel any person to stand, salute the flag, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance."
If your children are being told differently, then I suggest you take that up with their principal.
By mat catastrophe
08/27/2011
"I pledge alignment to the flakes
of the untitled snakes of a merry cow
and to the Republicans
for which they scam
one nacho, underpants,
with licorice and jugs of wine for owls."
-- Matt Groening, Life in Hell, 1985
His version makes more sense.
By twinkie223
08/27/2011
You could easily say that version instead and no one would be the wiser. Which kind of proves what a meaningless, hollow exercise this is.
Are school kids really expected to get something out half-heartedly mumbling out a daily repetition of this rote, mandatory script?
As if before this, they were all only a little bit allegiant to the flag of USA, but after repeated pledgings of their allegiance to the republic for which the flag stands, they are really, really allegiant and will no longer be easily swayed to side with Canada's sexier maple leaf or whatever Luxembourg's flag looks like.
When you join the military, you have to raise your right hand and swear an oath to defend the constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. You only have to do it that one time though. They don't make you keep swearing it every freakin' day before roll call.
By brebro
08/27/2011
In 1989, I was a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Another student, Dread Scott Tyler, created an installation work that included a flag on the floor, which people were walking on. It created a national freak-out. The school became an armed camp for a solid month because of all the death threats against students, and the whole thing almost resulted in the museum having it's funding completely cut off by right-wing lawmakers, among other bizarre over-reactions.
When I first saw the piece, one side-effect for me was to realize that I didn't like seeing the US flag on the floor with people walking on it. I know that I was not alone among the student body. I had pretty much stayed out of the fracas up to that point, but before long, I became a vocal supporter of Scott's right to show the piece, and most importantly, to recognize that it was just as likely that upon seeing it, people would have the opposite reaction to what Scott intended.
I wonder if the people pushing the pledge and other flag-worship rites realize that for every kid who gets a patriotic tear in his eye, there's probably more who become bored and cynical as a result of having to mouth words that they don't understand or agree with.
By Barry Summers
08/27/2011
@mat:
It's not that the children are FORCED to stand and recite the pledge, it's just a routine with the principal coming on the intercom to do morning announcements, and wrapping up with "okay, we have Johnny here with us to recite the pledge, if you will please stand..." and then Johnny leads the recitation over the PA, and everyone goes along. No one ever says to the kids, you don't have to do this. Everyone just models standing, hand over heart, and saying the words every day, in the same way. For a long time it bugged me for being an annoyingly rote, not very thoughtful process, but then another parent pointed out that it's cultural literacy, knowing the pledge. Then we can talk about it at home, like, gee honey, do YOU think we have liberty and justice for all in our country? If not, why not, etc.
By Susan Andrew
08/29/2011
That's a thoughtful intention, but wouldn't the daily recitation of say, the preamble to the Constitution, be just as culturally literate and provocative? Such as, "Gosh, mom, have we the people really formed a more perfect union and do we really promote the general welfare?" What makes this pledge so special that it needs daily repetition?
By brebro
08/30/2011
Well, then, Susan - I suggest you do exactly that and talk about it at home with *your* children. Let them make their decision and stand and recite, or sit silent.
But, prepare them for what happens when they leave the comfortable confines of cultural conformity. And make sure they are able to explain to their friends and teachers why they are doing it.
And the tricky part is: You have to do all this without indoctrinating them yourself.
My parents never taught me to say it or not say it (in fact, the only instructions I can remember were "hand over heart for the pledge, not the anthem. that's just stupid.") and I've thanked them endlessly for that over the years.
But, to each their own. I wish you luck and hope I don't see on the news in the middle of some court battle :)
By mat catastrophe
08/30/2011
It’s not that the children are FORCED to stand and recite the pledge
Right, it's just the Principle coming on the squawk box, and the Teacher standing up, and all the other children standing up & doing it & scowling at anyone who is slow to get up... maybe not 'forced', but when you're a kid, 6, 7 years old? Coercion is the same thing as force.
By Barry Summers
08/30/2011
...maybe not ‘forced’, but when you’re a kid, 6, 7 years old?
Actually, you'll find yourself doing that throughout your life, even when you know better.
(http://people.stern.nyu.edu/wgreene/entertainmentandmedia/Cascades.pdf)
By mat catastrophe
08/30/2011
I'd prefer that my kids were reciting the preamble to the Constitution -- although there's the small problem of how to avoid reciting the whole THING, since in the final bit of the preamble, We the People "establish this Constitution for the United States of America," which sort of compels the rest of it...
Plus, reciting ANYTHING without understanding tends to produce the same problem: rote meaninglessness. So it seems the key step is for parents to point out what is going on -- without bringing in yet more indoctrination! -- so kids can start thinking about it all in plenty of time to manage further, more subtle forms of indoctrination (including everyday phenomena such as commercials, organized religion, mindless rhetoric, spin, fads, and sales pitches of all kinds).
By Susan Andrew
08/30/2011