AS FAR as I remember, a typical school day begins something like this: The principal presents the morning announcements over the intercom. The Pledge of Allegiance comes on and students stand up, place their right hands over their hearts and mumble the words, whether or not they truly believe in them. After the pledge is over, students slump into their seats to prepare for yet another monotonous day of grammar and algebra.
This is how most grade schools in Virginia, and most schools in the United States, operate today. Now, Virginia Sen. Warren E. Barry (R-Fairfax) wants to turn what is basically a standard routine into state law by requiring every student to learn the Pledge of Allegiance, demonstrate his knowledge of it and recite it once a day at a time decided by the appropriate school board. While there is no problem with requiring the recitation of the pledge once throughout the school day, Barry's proposal that students who don't cooperate with this law be suspended is ludicrous and unreasonable.
After a decision by the House Education Committee Wednesday to amend Barry's suspension proposal in Senate Bill 1331, Barry blew up and withdrew the bill. "Well, we got a bunch of pinkos on that committee that have nibbled away on the bill to the point where it doesn't have any meaning," Barry said ("Senator Strikes Pledge Bill," Potomac News, Feb. 15).
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Barry certainly is correct: Without the suspension penalty, the bill certainly lacks meaning. This is because it simply would make mandatory certain practices that are already in use: learning the Pledge of Allegiance and reciting it during the school day. The current Virginia law regarding the Pledge states that students shall be instructed in the history and principles of the flag of the United States in at least one or more grades. This instruction "shall include the Pledge of Allegiance and the appropriate etiquette and conventions for respecting the dignity and appropriate display of such flags" (http://leg1.state.va.us).
Barry's new bill would just require that students demonstrate their knowledge by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance once a day. Because schools participate in this activity anyway, there is no harm in passing this bill, especially since it says "no student can be compelled to recite the pledge if he, his parent or legal guardian objects on religious or philosophical grounds" (http://leg1.state.va.us). Exempted students must just stay quiet and have courtesy for those around them. However, Barry's request that those not exempt who fail to participate be suspended is too harsh and inappropriate.
If, for some reason, a student did get in trouble for not reciting the pledge, it would have to be because he or she was displaying disruptive behavior. It is not fair that actions such as interrupting class or fighting are disruptive behaviors that are punished based on the discretion of school faculty, while the disruptive behavior of saying the pledge would not be handled by school administration. To say a child who causes fights and riots may not be suspended while a student who doesn't recite the pledge would face automatic suspension would be ridiculous.
Barry's reasoning as to why the pledge of Allegiance should be mandatory is that "If future generations are to enjoy the freedoms we've had, it's incumbent upon us to nurture patriotism." The truth is, demanding that students learn and recite the pledge will not make them suddenly discover new-found love for their country.
For most grade school students, the pledge is just a bunch of words. They never even ponder what it means or why they are saying it. In fact, the new bill bullies kids into saying the pledge by threatening them with suspension. By doing this, it negates the rights it is attempting to foster - freedom of speech and religion. Rep. W.W. Bennett (D-Halifax) said, "this bill starts to go over the cliff, moving from foster to force."
The only way to make students proud of our nation is to educate them about the struggles of the young United States and the troubles we are working to overcome today. Sen. Mitchell Van Yahres (D-Albemarle County) had the right idea when he suggested "a more effective approach would be to do a better job teaching children about the sacrifices of their forefathers."
While the bill has temporarily been dropped because of Barry's rampage, it remains an issue for Virginia's legislature. The passage of Senate Bill 1331 without the suspension provision is acceptable, but Virginia's government must remember one important concept - reciting the pledge alone has no meaning if it is just empty words without any feeling behind it.
(Michelle Drucker's column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at mdrucker@cavalierdaily.com.)
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