“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
These are words I know by heart along with my classmates. Throughout elementary and middle school, we said these words daily as a way to unite us through patriotism. With all the changes that came with going into high school, I believe many students, including myself, forgot about the pledge.
According to a Kansas statute from 2012, all schools are required to say the pledge of allegiance every day — a regulation that the high school did not previously enforced. However, with its reintroduction, SPUB discussed their various opinions on the matter.
Initially, when I learned of the pledge’s reintroduction I felt both surprised and slightly annoyed. Announcements already last longer than my attention span can manage, so adding yet another thing didn’t bring me a great deal of joy.
Additionally, I don’t fully agree with what the pledge stands for. It creates a false sense of security between citizens and their government. It is a privilege to be able to express myself freely in the U.S. through freedom of speech; nevertheless, that does not take away from the off-putting nature of reciting one’s devotion to their country each morning. In today’s school system, which aims to be inclusive and encourage diversity, it seems outdated to keep the pledge around.
When discussing with my fellow staff members their thoughts on this adaptation to our daily routine, ideas did have me second-guessing my original perspective. One thought is that this unifying message is good for the student body and that it will bring the student body together as a whole. On some level, this is correct. By asking every single student and faculty member to do the same thing each morning, a devotion that is said numbly, inevitably will form bonds.
Another spin on the pledge is that it isn’t said as support for the government; rather, it is to support the military and the soldiers who have fought for us to safely go to school. I like this spin on the pledge much better which is why I will always stand for the pledge even if I don’t say the words.
Overwhelmingly, SPUB held no strong feelings either way. The majority of people saw both views. While I can see and understand how people could feel either way, I’m still against reintroducing the pledge. In an attempt to include all and unite the nation, it has managed to be exclusive. In a society where people from different backgrounds and views are accepted, it feels silly to proceed with such an arbitrary custom.
