Mass. group wants Pledge of Allegiance banned from schools

Does the Pledge of Allegiance belong in schools? Photo: Pete Jeliffe via Flickr/Creative Commons

An activist group in Massachusetts is calling for an end to the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools, saying it has no educational value.

Brookline Political Action for Peace, also known as Brookline PAX, is calling for an end to the morning routine that has taken place in classrooms throughout the United States since the 1950s, and wants it put to a vote in the fall, according to the Boston Globe.

The co-chairman of Brookline PAX, Martin Rosenthal, told the paper that the Pledge doesn’t “belong in the schools,” and that it “just puts kids in an uncomfortable situation.” The local school district had passed a policy that stated while the pledge would be recited during announcements, individual students could choose to opt out of reciting it themselves.

School official Rebecca Stone was quoted as saying that while she admits reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is “not of great educational value,” she added that it’s important because “[the school is] recognizing established and in some cases revered practices of the citizenry.”

In an opinion piece written by Rosenthal and his co-chairman Frank Farlow on Wicked Local, the pair said that “‘voluntary’ Pledges are actually coercive,” and that they are “loyalty oaths.” They stated that “neither role pledging, nor pressuring dissenters, furthers [U.S.] ideals.”

Rosenthal reiterated that point to the Globe, saying the Pledge had “complex issues” rendered meaningless by rote recitation, adding, “Are you supposed to just say something like this, or are you supposed to think about it?”

Brookline PAX, which has adopted the slogan “think globally, act locally,” has been vocal on a number of other issues such as police surveillance cameras, and sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.