Should Students Recite the Pledge of Allegiance?

Written by Sarah Worthman

When students head back to the classroom in just a few weeks, they'll start each day with the Pledge of Allegiance — a tradition that goes back generations.

In Minnesota, as is the case with most states, classrooms in public schools are required to offer the pledge or the National Anthem daily, but students are not required to actually stand up and recite it. Most do, of course, but some students object to the phrase "Under God" and refuse to take part in the daily routine.

The issue has surfaced nationally. Earlier this year, a state lawmaker in Arizona introduced a bill to require students to recite the pledge. Other states, including Oregon and Nebraska, have had discussions on whether to require the pledge to be recited in schools.

We asked this question on our Facebook page, and here are some of the answers we received:

• Mary Kamleiter: Yes, glad that most schools still require it.
• Karen Kopesky: yes
• Carly Thomas Kidd: I don't mind at all that they do, but I don't think it should be required that schools offer it.
• Katie Warrick: No
• Liza Schwab: Yes
• Amy Blom: Yes