In recognition of Constitution Day, millions of students across
the nation participated in a synchronized Pledge of Allegiance
today.
Local schools recited the pledge at 11 a.m.
”
I think it’s important to participate in an event like this
because it encourages unity,
”
said Jean Burns Slater, superintendent of the San Benito High
School District.
”
It’s a way to use our constitution and our pledge to support our
country and justice for all.
”
In recognition of Constitution Day, millions of students across the nation participated in a synchronized Pledge of Allegiance today.
Local schools recited the pledge at 11 a.m.
“I think it’s important to participate in an event like this because it encourages unity,” said Jean Burns Slater, superintendent of the San Benito High School District. “It’s a way to use our constitution and our pledge to support our country and justice for all.”
Despite a ban on reciting the Pledge of Allegiance by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in February, public school students are still allowed to say the pledge because the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court April 30. Until the Supreme Court overturns the ban or affirms the Appeals Court decision, the ban is stayed.
The Appeals Court banned the pledge on the basis that the phrase “under God” violated the separation of church and state. If the Supreme Court hears the case, it may not make a decision until June 2004.
Pledge Across America is an attempt to unite the nation’s schools and youth through a patriotic observance, according to the Pledge Across America Web site. It allows students an opportunity to focus on the words of the Pledge of Allegiance and encourages discussion about American history and democratic principles.
Slater heard about the event from an e-mail from the California Department of Education. Participating in Pledge Across America runs parallel with SBHS’s goal of “doing appropriate commemorations of events,” Slater said.
In the past, the synchronized pledge was held on Sept. 11, but the U.S. Department of Education asked the date be moved to Constitution Day, Sept. 17. On that day in 1787, 39 delegates signed the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia.
An event like Pledge Across America also gives students and adults a chance to think about the meaning of the words they recite. Too often, they just say the words they’ve had memorized since kindergarten and don’t think about the significance of those words.
“It’s perfect. It’s an opportunity to be very thoughtful about it, especially since it’s on a designated, specific day,” Slater said.
For more information about the annual Pledge Across America, visit www.celenrationusa.org.
