Parental notification of Pledge of Allegiance?

[eek MD]

Is this commonplace? I can't see any reason why the school should have to notify parents if their child chooses not to say the pledge of allegiance. (Unless they want to pressure the parents to force the child into "compliance"). Just curious what everyone else thinks.




<snippit>
RICHMOND--Voting 93-4, the House of Delegates yesterday approved a bill requiring schools to notify parents if their children refuse to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

But a House committee stripped the bill of a provision requiring parents to give their consent for such a protest.

[noamnety]

1. I've never heard of such a thing!

It seems bad, but it's better than when I was a kid, when I was forced to go stand in front of the room and say it in front of everyone, because I was caught not saying the Under God part.

I don't know why it's so important to force people to declare something they obviously don't believe in.

[Johonny]

2. Thank god

Virginia is in such good shape that they can spend time on such a weighty and important public issue.

I wonder how many teachers will waste the time from their already busy day to write notes home... I guess now that I think of it I had one in high school that would have.

[neebob]

3. That's stupid.

I should think most kids who refuse to say the pledge of allegiance have parents who would support them in that choice. I'm glad they took out the consent provision, but they're still creating a record. Maybe it's not so stupid; maybe it's just scary.

[donheld]

4. It's really quite stupid

I'm sure most little kids would stand up with the class, unless expressly told not to from parents. An older child should be able to make up his/her own mind.
If you force a child to say the pledge it makes the child angry. Also, if anyone repeatedly says something like the pledge it can become meaningless in your mind. I sang hymns so often growing up that i still have many of them memorized, but they never really became anything of meaning. Just because you repeat something over and over doesn't mean you believe it.

[kiraboo]

5. Treason!

My politically aware 13-yr-old won't say the pledge of allegiance these days, for obvious reasons. Her homeroom teacher never lets her forget his disapproval. Yesterday he told her, "You don't understand anything about freedom. Just wait until the day you are holding arms." This confused my girl, who visualized herself clinging onto disembodied limbs. But you know, I'm not interested in confronting her teacher. He, among others in our town, provides an excellent example of what's wrong with our country today, and these are lessons my kids need to learn.

[karlrschneider]

6. I would send a note, reverse style, from parent to teacher saying

"If you EVER lecture my child again about your perverse concept of freedom, I will come to your classroom and put you on permanent detention."
:grr:

[prodigal_green]

9. I was about the same age when I stopped saying it

but nobody made a peep. I love that the teacher tells your daughter she doesn't understand "freedom" unless she declares something she doesn't believe in. God, they must've come up with a drug that counters cognitive dissonance for these people.

[annabanana]

7. I think schools should notify parents of their intent to force kids

to recite the pledge. But maybe that's just me.

[mrfrapp]

8. A lesson from history

For the interested, it was taken from this page

[Piperay]

10. I didn't say the pledge

and my parents hardily approved of my decision. If the school had notified them they would've told them they supported me and asked them what the fuck they were wasting their time and schools resources for on a stupid notification. :mad: