Charlie
Final Presentation
Brief History of the Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was first written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist
Minister and Socialist, for the patriotic family magazine The Youth's Companion .
At that time it read "I Pledge Allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it
stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and Justice for all.
"The Pledge officially became part of the US Flag Code in 1942. In 1954 the words
"under God" were added to the Pledge by Congress with approval from President
Dwight Eisenhower.
A 2001 lawsuit, filed by Michael A. Newdow, contested the inclusion of the phrase
"under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, citing a violation of church-state
separation principles.
PRO under God
Some proponents argue that the United States was created from the Christian
principles of the Founding Fathers and as such the Pledge should respect the
country's heritage.
Others say the US Constitution protects freedom of religion and not freedom
from religion.
Many advocates of including "under God" in the Pledge point out that polls show
at least 80% of Americans support it, that federal law already contains 22
references to "God," and that Presidents swear an oath of office ending with
"so help me God."
Many others claim the incorporation of religious language is a reflection of the US
civic culture and not a promotion of religion.
CON under God
Some opponents argue that church and state should be kept separate as the
Founding Fathers intended.
Others say the phrase "under God" in the Pledge places "undue coercion" on
young children, thus violating the Establishment Clause of the First
Amendment. They also declare that the US Constitution protects minority
rights against majority will.
Many advocates of removing "under God" point out that the phrase was not
written into the original pledge and that the opposition to returning to the
original pledge is proof that "under God" is a religious symbol
and not merely a secular practice.
Jehovah’s Witness & the Pledge of Allegiance
Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940)
Two Jehovah's Witness school children, 10 (William) and 12 (Lillian) years old, were suspended from school in
Minersville, Pennsylvania, because they refused to salute the American flag during mandatory morning exercises. As
a result, their father had to pay for them to enroll in a private school.The parents alleged that their children's' due
process rights had been violated by the school and sued.
In an 8-1 Court Decision with Justice Frankfurter writing the majority opinion, the Supreme Court found that the
school district had a strong interest in creating national unity that was sufficient to permit them to compel students
to salute the flag.
The Court also found that students would not be pulled away from their faith by partaking in the pledge because
their parents have a much greater influence than the school in the development of their religious beliefs.
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943)
West Virginia required both students and teachers to participate in saluting the flag during exercises at the beginning
of each school day as part of a standard school curriculum.Failure on the part of anyone to comply meant expulsion and in such a case the student was considered illegally absent until they were allowed back.
A group of Jehovah's Witness families refused to salute the flag because it represented a graven image they could
not acknowledge in their religion and so they filed suit to challenge the curriculum as a violation of their religious
liberties.
With Justice Jackson writing the majority opinion, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the school district violated the
rights of students by forcing them to salute the American flag.
This decision reversed the Court's judgement three years prior in Gobitis. This time, the Court recognized that it was
a serious violation of individual liberty to force an individual to give a salute and thereby assert a belief contrary to
one's religious faith.ﾊAlthough the state might have a certain amount of interest in having some uniformity among
students, this wasn't enough to justify forced compliance. Even minimal harm which might be created by lack of
compliance was not judged as great enough to ignore the rights of the students to exercise their religious beliefs.
District Calendars
List Intercessions or Breaks
in Generic Terms
such as Winter instead of Christmas.
School Calendars
Instead of Black History Month consider
Multicultural or Diversity Month.
If you go with something such as Black History
Month have other events addressing and
recognizing other cultures or races.
School Calendars cont.
If you are having seasonal or topical events
schedule them after school hours
to allow students who
are unable to attend to opt out.
School sponsored activities should focus on
more than one religion or religious holiday
and calendars should represent this.
Holidays and Celebrations
Holidays with both religious and secular bases may be
observed. Music, art, literature, and drama may be
included in the curriculum if presented in a prudent
and objective manner and only as a part of the
cultures and religious heritage of the
holidays. Religious symbols may be used only has a
teaching aid and or resources only if they are
displayed as a part of the cultural and religious
heritage of the holiday and are temporary in nature.
Pre/Post Game Prayers
Mandatory or public prayers over P.A. are not
allowed at sporting events.
Coach or staff led prayers are unconstitutional
Students may voluntarily participate
in prayers on their own
No one can be forced participate
in prayers at school events
Santa Fe v. Doe
Supreme Court said student led prayer before a high
school football game violates establishment clause
School elected a student chaplain to perform prayer
on PA at game
Students voted on whether to allow prayer and
which student would deliver the prayer
Lee v. Weisman was used as a guideline
School Prayer Timeline
1962 Engel v. Vitale - staff led prayer at the
beginning of the day is unconstitutional
1963 Abington Township SD v. Schempp prohibits school officials from leading prayer
or bible readings in public schools
School Prayer Timeline cont.
1985 Wallace v. Jaffree
Moment of silence not allowed
1992 Lee v. Weisman
Layperson may not lead a prayer at graduation
2000 Santa Fe v. Doe
Student led prayer over the PA system at football
games is unconstitutional
Main Issues still to be decided
Moment of silence - many states have passed
moment of silence laws
which claim a secular purpose
The next couple Supreme Court appointments
could have major impact on direction of the
courts
United States Constitution can be accessed from the
following websites:
http://www.law.emory.edu/index.php?id=3080
http://depts.alverno.edu/dgp/GEC/Overview%20of%20Con
stitution.html
Resources for Parents,
Students and Teachers
Printable material that can be viewed:
http://www.freedomforum.org/publications/firs
t/religioninpublicschools/parentsguidereligion
.pdf
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/PDF/teac
hersguide.PDF
General information regarding religion
and public schools:
http://www.firstamendmentcenter .org/rel lib
erty/publicschools/topic .aspx ?topic=school
prayer
Charlie Team Handbook Section
To our school board…We have been researching ways that free speech and the
separation of church and state have made an impact on the ways our schools
operate. We have looked at the Pledge of Allegiance, Holiday Celebrations and
Assemblies, and Pre and Post Game Prayer and have some recommendations for
the Rock Island District #41 policies and procedures student/ parent handbook.
The public school system should try to promote greater tolerance and understanding
among students of different traditions and still follow the guidelines of the First
Amendment. The Rock Island School District #41 will follow specific guidelines to
ensure that our schools celebrate the various holiday seasons that our families
recognize in a way favorable to all.
Teaching of Religious Holidays
The public school system may teach about various religions;
however, may not observe specific religious holidays.
Students can gain understanding of and respect for different
cultures and beliefs when they are taught about them in the
safe school setting. No one culture or religion should be
addressed, instead traditions of numerous cultures or
religions should be explored.
Holiday Assemblies
Public assemblies are allowable, as long as they are “presented
objectively as part of the educational program.” Religious
portions of a program are allowed as long as they are only a
small portion of the assembly and do not “push or promote” a
certain religious viewpoint. In addition, school-sponsored
activities should include more than one religion (religious
songs, etc) in the assembly. Students are allowed to opt out
of any activity, which they may find offensive without any
adverse effect to them.
Decoration of School Property
Classrooms and public areas of schools may be decorated as long
as the decorations do not endorse or favor one religion or
culture over another. Schools should represent and
encourage understanding of the diversity of the seasons and
various cultures and avoid using religious symbols that have
specific religious meanings. Teachers or schools may not
show preference to any one religion or culture.
Prayer at Athletic Events
It is the Rock Island School District #41 policy to prevent mandatory public
prayers led by any school staff member, parent, layperson, or student
present before, at, or after any extra curricular event. Staff members may
not lead students in voluntary prayers before, at, or after a game either.
Students are allowed to pray at these events as long as the prayer is
voluntary and not required as part of the event or to participate in the
event. The school will not encourage or discourage prayer of any kind
before, at, or after extracurricular events. School officials will monitor
extracurricular events to ensure that these guidelines are followed and
that students are not and will not be discriminated against based on
personal beliefs.
Pledge of Allegiance
At the Rock Island School District #41 students are offered the opportunity to
recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag once during each
school day. Participation in recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance will be
voluntary. Students may refuse to participate in recitation of the Pledge of
Allegiance for any reason, including religious, political, philosophical, or
personal reasons.
If a student chooses not to participate, he/she may stand or sit in silence.
Charlie Team
Kristin Holmberg
Jennifer Kuehn
Janet Lockhart-Johnson
Anna Lorenz
Karen Martinek-Anger
Joe Mowen