Pledge of Allegiance in Schools: Not Required in These 5 States

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The New Pledge of Allegiance Requirements for Nebraska

In 2008, eight states had no laws requiring students recite the Pledge of Allegiance at school. That number has recently dwindled to five, with Nebraska being the latest state to adopt a statewide mandate.

In a unanimous 8-0 vote, the Nebraska State Board of Education voted for schools to have time set aside for students to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. Mark Quandahl, a member of the Nebraska State Board of Education and representative of District 2, said the decision was based on the fact that requirements such as these are nothing new; most states have them. “The inclusion of the requirement of the Pledge of Allegiance in the rules for the state of Nebraska is the right thing to do,” Quandahl said to TakePart.

Click through the gallery to find out the five states where kids don't have to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in schools.

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Vermont

The Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and was first used in public schools on October 12 of that year to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival to the New World. The pledge was not officially endorsed by Congress until 1942.

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Oklahoma

When the pledge was first recited in public schools it read, “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” “My Flag” was changed in 1924 to “the Flag of the United States of America.” The rationale behind this change was to differentiate “the Flag” from other nations’ flags, and to limit uncertainty of the meaning for foreign-born children.

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Hawaii

In 1954, the phrase “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance by a Congressional act. President Eisenhower said that the phrase was “.. reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future... ” Since then, the phrase has contributed to the controversy surrounding whether students should be required to recite the pledge in schools.

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Iowa

In 2011, Iowa proposed House File 420, which would have required public-school students to recite the pledge every school day. Non-public schools would have been exempt, and students with personal objections to reciting the pledge would not be forced to do so. However, the bill did not see any action after it was introduced.

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Wyoming

In 2011, Wyoming was close to passing a bill that would require students in public schools to recite the pledge. The bill passed the House with a 52-5 vote, but failed to pass the Senate with a vote of 16 to 14. Senator Cale Case said that since the state does not require adults to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, it should not require children to recite it in the classroom.