Pennsylvania Requires Pledge
A bill requiring that students recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning in school passed the Pennsylvania state Senate on Wednesday. Students are allowed to refrain from participation only if they have a note from their parents.
In 1943 the Supreme Court ruled that mandating recitation of the Pledge was unconstitutional. Although this bill does provide an out, it seems to me that the parental consent requirement represents an undue burden on a student who wishes to exercise his/her constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of conscience.
The bill has yet to pass the state House or be signed into law by Governor Schweiker. Even if that should occur, it may well be overturned as unconstitutional on challenge. But if you live in Pennsylvania, you may not want to let it get that far. You can contact your state representative and Governor Schweiker to express your opinion on this bill before it is enacted into law. Whether you don't support it or do.
Comments
And those of us who live in PA know who we are. But Ed Rendell (D), big blustery ex-mayor of Philadelpha, was elected Governor. I don't expect him to sign.
Posted by: Mom | November 17, 2002 03:27 PM
Wouldn't that depend on whether it gets through in this session? When is the state legislature set to adjourn for the year?
Posted by: Lesley | November 17, 2002 04:54 PM
I believe this law violates every constitutional right as a student. I am only 17! I don't have that many rights. I want to keep all the ones I have!
Posted by: Adrienne | January 22, 2003 07:10 PM
The law was passed and signed (by Governor Schweiker) on Dec 9, to go into effect on Feb 7, 2003. The Circle School, a parent, and a student challenged the law (Act 157) in federal court on Feb 6. Pennsylvania officials agreed not to enforce the law, pending a preliminary injunction hearing. No date has been set for that hearing.
Posted by: Jim Rietmulder | February 22, 2003 12:37 PM
Jim Rietmulder, along with his cohort, Larry Frankel (ACLU) are both clearly communists. If you do your research and investigate the ACLU, you will find that this organization was exported out of Russia in the early 1900's with the sole purpose of destroying the U.S. I would highly recommend that both Rietmulder and Frankel wake up to reality and realize that Communism does not work, and never will.
Posted by: Rebecca | July 16, 2003 08:01 PM
What that has to do with the Supreme Court ruling mandatory recitation of the Pledge as unconstitutional is beyond me. Do your own research into Supreme Court decisions of the 1940s. Even more specifically, West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette. I wasn't aware that the Supreme Court was the ACLU or were communists.
Posted by: Lesley | July 16, 2003 10:25 PM