“One nation, under God, individual, with liberty and justice for all,” the anchor on the school announcements said in closing the Pledge of Allegiance. Laughter and surprised faces filled the classroom of Nancy Gray’s AP Literature class following this flub of an everyday recitation.

“If the quality of the announcements was better I think people would be more serious about the pledge. They say it’s funny and they mess up words,” senior Amy Mosher said. “People would be more serious if [the anchors] were.”
Although students say the pledge every day, there has been talk about those who do not stand for or recite the pledge.

“People think that I don’t stand for the pledge because I’m against it,” sophomore Austin Combs said, “but I’m honestly just too busy to stand up.”

But is it really a travesty to not stand up and salute the flag? Principal Rick Fleming says that there is a pledge policy, but it is not widely enforced.

“The policy is that a child must stand and recognize [the flag] but does not have to recite,” Fleming said.
The issue of patriotism in classrooms has surfaced before. In 2006, state representative Bob Allen initiated the Carey Baker Freedom Flag Act which stated that every classroom have a three feet by two feet flag. The act received mixed feelings. Some felt the flags were too big. While the act is still in effect, the amount of respect afforded the flag did not change with the size and the recitation of the pledge remains widely unenforced.

Junior Adam Davidson says the daily pledge has little merit because of its repetitive nature.
“A pledge is something you should say once in a while, not every day,” Davidson said “We say it every day and it loses its meaning to me.”

Sophomore Jimmy Carroll says respecting the pledge and the flag is an important part of being an American citizen.
“Everyone should respect the pledge and the flag by standing for the pledge, he said. “Whether you say it or not doesn’t matter, just respect it or leave the country.”