Brian Peach
Daily Egyptian
Illinois public high school students will have deja vu of their grade school days this fall when they stand up to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
A recently passed mandate by Illinois Gov. George Ryan requires that all public high school teachers put aside time every day to say the pledge.
Ryan's mandate comes on the heels of the decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the phrase "under God," is unconstitutional. Ryan adamantly argued with the decision, saying he would "vigorously fight any attempt to attack the Pledge of Allegiance in Illinois."
On the other side of the spectrum, Mark Schneider, chairman of the executive committee of the Southern Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, strongly supports the circuit court's decision regarding the pledge.
"In general, we're happy the 9th Circuit decided that 'under God' didn't belong in it," Schneider said. "The ACLU's position is that people should not be coerced into statements of any sort that are ideological. We're all for patriotism, but we're for it on a voluntary basis."
Ryan's mandate requires only that public high schools integrate the pledge into their daily routines, but students who do not wish to recite it are not required to.
"Students who object to the pledge in any way can opt out of it and not have to say it," Schneider said. "But that singles them out as oddballs."
Matt Hagnauer, a sophomore at Granite City High School, agrees that the decision to say the pledge should be left up to students.
"It's really their freedom of speech," Hagnauer said. "They shouldn't have to say it if they don't want to. Anybody that disagrees with that doesn't really believe in freedom of speech."
Hagnauer said he has a hard time seeing the point of the decision. He does not think it increases patriotism in any way.
"If they have patriotism, saying the pledge isn't going to change that," he said. " If they don't say it, it doesn't make them any less of a citizen."
Carbondale School District 165 Superintendent Steven Sabens said he doesn't see a problem with high school students saying the pledge everyday.
"It's not one of those burning issues that we're dealing with in Carbondale," Sabens said, adding that the pledge will probably be recited over the intercom with the daily announcements each morning.
Henry Bell, a member of the Carbondale District 165 school board, is undecided on how he stands regarding the issue, but is for the pledge more than against it.
"Having to make that law is kind of distasteful," he said. "As far as requiring it, I don't think we have to do that.
Although Bell is against forcing schools to say the pledge, he said he believes in the pledge for what it is, and doesn't think the phase "under God" is wrong to be recited in public schools.
"This is a Christian country founded on Christian principles, and I think the majority still happen to be Christian," Bell said. "The Pledge of Allegiance is in line with our Christian principles.
"It's too bad so many people are offended by things that were not meant to offend."
Nathan Britton, a sophomore at East Richland High School, doesn't have a problem saying the pledge and will engage in it at school, but he said he is not quite sure why they have to say it.
"It's not that big of a deal, because it's not that much out of our time," Britton said. "But it just seems like it's only the Pledge of Allegiance. I mean, we did that in kindergarten."
Bell said students should not be forced to say anything they do not want to say unless it has a direct relation to the curriculum. He leaves it up in the air for them to decide what's right for them.
"A student is not going to do well in school or bad in school because he does or does not say the pledge," he said.
Reporter Brian Peach can be reached at bpeach@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
