I Pledge Allegiance…
A few eighth graders from a small town in Minnesota were suspended last week for not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. The school’s handbook states that kids don’t have to recite the Pledge, but they are required to stand while others do so. The school district is now trying to decide if the handbook should be reworded to protect free speech.
Should the policy change? You know how defiant kids can be. Let’s say the district changes the policy, some of the kids might sit just because they’re lazy. What do you think? Should the policy be changed so that kids can sit down? It’s not like they’re being forced to say the pledge. Should the school be able to suspend them for sitting?
Click here to read all about it. Red Skelton’s version of the Pledge of Allegiance is amazing!! Click here to hear it.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I absolutely think that the school district has the right to suspend these kids. It all goes to teaching respect for both our country and those that have fight so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today. If kids are allowed to disrespect our country, they may then think that it is okay to disrespect authority and our elders. Some things must be held sacred and I believe that standing during the pledge shows respect!
May 12th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Were they suspended for not saying the pledge or for not following policy/direction.
Personally as a parent I would say that if my child does not follow policy/direction then they should take their lumps. Look what’s happened to our society because rules have been allowed to become “guidelines”.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:56 am
This has gotten ridiculous. What is it really coming to. If the kids in OUR country cannot even stand during the pledge of aliagiance out of pure respect why even bother attending our schools.
Standing for the pledge should be required, beyond any physical disability that would limit anyone from standing. I think many people have truely fogotten what it means when our flags flys above, and we all could afford a little more respect towards our flag nad country.
Soon the Church and Nation beliefs will be the minoroty and is what has caused the decline of pure family values.
Hope you have a great day.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Weslea,
Are we kidding ourselves. We would be doing our children a huge disservice by not teaching them to be respectful. I think that parents are too scared to be the authority to their children and let them get away with so many things that can be disrespectful. Is it so hard on them to stand for that few seconds.
I think parents need to stand up and do the job of parenting and teach the basics of life in our society.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:01 am
I don’t normally do this but this bit with the Pledge of Allegiance really bothered me. I moved to the US from Canada when I was 14 and I refused to stand for the Pledge. I was told that was ok and when they were finishe;, I could stand and sing God Save The Queen. To say the least I learned the Pledge quickly. I am now a citizen of the US and very proud of it. I believe that children are becoming very disrespectful and by letting another thing pass that children are not required to do is making it so that children will not know what respect is. I grew up during Vietnam and the flag burning and I feel that this is just another way to deface our country. We may not always agree with everything the government does but as a whole we are very lucky compared to many others. I’m sorry if I stood on my soap box too long but I think this hit a nerve.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:02 am
I can’t keep quiet on this one! This is where our country needs to stand tall! I do not believe they should be allowed to disrespect this country by not even standing. If they want us to pay for their schooling, provide them freedom and the right to not recite the pledge, they need to at least stand! They need to remember it is our tax dollars that will provide them a prison cell with heat, light, and food when their no good lazy butts land in jail! If they don’t like it, send them to boot camp or they can go live in a country you can do that in! See how much they are allowed to defy then!
May 12th, 2008 at 11:12 am
[…] Peach Pundit wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI Pledge Allegiance… May 12th, 2008 by Weslea A few eighth graders from a small town in Minnesota were suspended last week for not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. The school’s handbook states that kids don’t have to recite the Pledge, but they are required to stand while others do so. The school district is now trying to decide if the handbook should be reworded to protect free speech. Should the policy change? You know how defiant kids can be. Let’s say the district changes the policy […]
May 12th, 2008 at 11:13 am
They should be encouraged to stand(In some countries they could be shot for not standing. You expressed concern that the suspension would interfere with their education- that education is a right given to them by the country they refuse to respect! They should be suspended until they have some gratitude and respect for what they are being provided by the good ol USA. If this is unacceptable they can find a private school that would tolerate their behavior. They have the right to a free education and the responsibility to to respect the country giving it to them.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:15 am
I believe it all starts at home. Kids learn from their parents and their environment. At the same time, parents send their children to school to learn and I think that when kids are in school they respect the school rules just like they would at home. If it’s written that you stand while the Pledge is being said, then you stand, and their parents should be backing the school 100%. I am going to be an Army wife and in all honesty, respect your country and the people who give you the freedom to do what you want. I think it’s very disrepectful for those kids to sit during the Pledge. Not only are they disrespecting themselves, they’re disrespecting our country, our soldiers, their school and possibly their friends or peers who have people over seas or who have lost their lives. I give kudos to the school for standing by their policy. But if I were the school, I wouldn’t suspend them from school, it’s like giving the kids a vacation. I would stick them in an in school suspension where they’re forced to be there but be punished. Kids are too disrespectful these days and they need to start being put back in their place!!
May 12th, 2008 at 11:16 am
I agree with everyone here and those I’ve heard online. Kudos tot he school for enforcing their policy. At the begining of every school year the students get an updated copy of the student handbook that they have to read and sign plus the PARENTS have to sign as well. The school should not have to change the policy but we know they will so they won’t have to “ruffle’ any feathers.
As a military family (with a deployed member) I believe its important to teach our children about the flag and what it stands for…especially in today’s world….ALL PEOPLE (KIDS AND ADULTS) NO MATTER THEIR AGE NEED TO LEARN/RELEARN RESPECT
May 12th, 2008 at 11:22 am
It’s “Freedom of Speech” not freeedom to do whatever the hell they want while they are at school. If they all decided to make human pyramids in class would that be allowed? No. They should have to stand and sit when instructed to do so - regardless of why.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:25 am
I strongly feel that those kids need to be suspended.This is being disrespectful to the country, the soldiers that are fighting to protect our freedom and also to the teachers and other students. I came to this country from Europe and am a naturalized American citizen and very proud of it.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I think that in today’s society, children are very disrespectful of their elders and authority figures. Simple things, such as standing for the Pledge, teach the children respect for their country. They don’t have to agree with what is stated in the Pledge, but they need to be taught signs of respect. If they don’t stand and support the country for the Pledge, why would they grow up to support the country in war?
I think that young children need to learn how to be respectful. If you look back, to even ten years ago, children didn’t even think to speak back to their parents and teachers. Simply standing up to show respect for the country is not a hard task, and these students should be used as an example that school’s won’t stand for their actions.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I agree with the kids being suspended. It shows disrespect to our country and our service men and women. If you don’t agree with something that we have done since this country began then don’t live here. We have already changed some things for these foreigners we are not changing this one.
May 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
In a meeting with the Republican Congressional leaders, November 2005. George W. Bush called the Constitution “Just a goddamned piece of paper”. He was not punished in anyway for this remark.
May, 2008 students refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I’m surprised this didn’t happen earlier.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
The children absolutely should stand out of respect for their counttry. You may not agree with everything that is going on with the country but it is still the best country around. Men and women have died to give these the kids the right to say or not say the Pledge of Allegiance. When one is at a sporting event and another country is playing we stand for the national anthem, why can’t these kids stand for their own pledge of allegiance? On 9/11/2001, we were attacked in a way no one could imagine. For ahile everyone stood and was proud to be American and to say God Bless America, sadly people no longer respect America and hesitate to even mention the name God. Is it going to take another attack to get us back to the way we should be? I hope not, but sadly it seems that way.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I have a thing with this pledge of alliganc crap what are these lasy students going to do when it comes time for them to get a job tell the prospecting employer if i cant sit im not going to work 99% of all jobs require you to stand 7 out of 8 hours i wish to be able to stand and say the the pledge and to be able to work but i cant so give in to them and suspend them cause thats the only reason they done it was so they could go and hang out on the streets