Q&A of the Day – Is the pledge of allegiance mandatory in Florida schools?
Each day I’ll feature a listener question that’s been submitted by one of these methods.
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Today’s entry...
I recently discovered that the pledge was not being offered in my son’s middle school despite it being a Florida statute. (1003.44). Am I missing something? Has Broward County not adopted this policy or is it not mandatory? So far, my searches haven't found otherwise.
Bottom Line: In Broward's student handbook under section VI (six),the Student Free Speech and Distribution of Materials section, on page 41, is this...
The pledge of allegiance to the flag shall be recited at the beginning of the day in each public elementary, middle and high school in the state. Each student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge. Upon written request by his or her parent, the student must be excused from reciting the pledge, including standing and placing the right hand over his or her heart. When the pledge is given, unexcused students must show full respect of the flag by standing at attention and men removing the headdress, except when such headdress is worn for religious purposes (F.S 1003.44)
So nope, it’s not lawful for your son’s middle school to skip the pledge, nor is Broward attempting to deny the mandate. As stated in the statute, it must happen, and students must participate unless they have written parental permission otherwise. If you’re certain this isn’t happening, you should contact the school for an explanation and if that isn’t satisfactory escalate the issue to the School District. You can keep me posted as well. I won’t name a school without confirmation but with confirmation I’ll lead the charge for accountability. And that goes for any schools in our state. Your note is the first I’ve received suggesting it’s not happening in every school. It makes me wonder if there aren’t others and we just haven’t heard about it to date.
These days, given the agendas of the education establishment and changes to curriculum, it’s especially important in my view to thoroughly review the materials presented to parents annually. If you don’t have hard copies handy, annual handbooks are made available online.