» Omaha Public Schools: Students in all schools recite the pledge daily, and schools are expected to have flags in every classroom, from elementary through high school, spokeswoman Luanne Nelson said.
» Millard: Elementary school students recite the pledge every day, and middle schoolers and high schoolers say it once a week. The exception is Russell Middle School, where students do it daily, said spokeswoman Amy Friedman.
“Generally, we do have flags in every classroom, but I haven't done a walk-through recently.”
» Bellevue: All students say the pledge every day, and flags hang in the classrooms, said Amanda Anderson, a spokeswoman.
» Norfolk: Students at all grade levels say the pledge daily, and classrooms have flags, said Bob Hastings, director of teaching and learning.
» Elkhorn: K-5 students say the pledge every day, and middle schoolers do it at least once a week, said Janna Brock, a district spokeswoman. High school students don't say the pledge because of time constraints, she said. All classrooms have flags.
» Bennington: Elementary students recite it every day, and older students do so once a week, said Superintendent Terry Haack. Every classroom has a flag, he said.
» Ralston: All students recite the pledge daily, and flags are in every classroom, said Mary Snyder, administrative assistant to the superintendent, based on checks with the district's principals.
» Westside: K-6 students say the pledge regularly, spokeswoman Peggy Rupprecht said, but she didn't know exactly how often. Seventh- and eighth-graders recite it on Mondays, but high schoolers don't say the pledge.
Elementary and middle-school classes have flags, but high school classrooms don't.
» Lincoln: Recitation of the pledge “is more commonly repeated daily in elementary schools and at assemblies and special events in secondary schools,” spokeswoman Mary Kay Roth wrote in an email.
» Papillion-La Vista: The pledge is said every day in every school, and U.S. flags are in all classrooms, spokeswoman Annette Eyman said.
Compiled by World-Herald staff writer Teresa Lostroh
LINCOLN — Andrew Shelburn used to just recite the Pledge of Allegiance because he was told to do so in school.
He changed his tune after studying the pledge and other symbols of freedom for a school report.
Now the 12-year-old Lincoln boy wants to see a law requiring that public school students be led in reciting the pledge every morning.
"I don't think kids today really respect the flag of the United States of America or the Pledge of Allegiance," Andrew told an panel of state lawmakers Tuesday. "I don't think people find it cool to show their patriotism anymore."
The Scott Middle School student joined military veterans, a State Board of Education member and two Lincoln businessmen to speak in support of Legislative Bill 990.
Several veterans with flags lined the Capitol hallway before the hearing began.
The measure, introduced by State Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln, would require group recitation of the pledge in public schools.
The bill also would require the American flag and the state flag to be displayed in every public school classroom and every classroom in the University of Nebraska, state colleges and community colleges.
The requirement would also apply to private schools, colleges and universities that receive state or federal funds.
Fulton said most public elementary schools already start their days with the pledge. The practice drops off in middle schools and is less common in high schools.
"Our flag is the primary symbol of the virtue of our forebears and the rich legacy that each prior generation of Americans has provided to us by their sacrifice," he said.
Fulton noted that the bill would not mandate that any student recite the pledge or that any teacher lead it. The U.S. Supreme Court has found such requirements unconstitutional.
But David Moshman, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor, still objected to the bill. He spoke on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska.
He argued that patriotism should be voluntary and spontaneous, not a required activity.
"It is the nature of patriotism that it comes out of your understanding and your own feelings about things," Moshman said.
To encourage patriotism, he said, it is better to teach about the flag and the history of the nation than to require people to recite words.
Jon Habben, executive director of the Nebraska Rural and Community Schools Association, responded that sometimes students have to be forced to do things in hopes that they will understand down the road.
If LB 990 is passed, Nebraska would join 43 other states with laws that require, encourage or specifically permit students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Fulton said 35 state laws call for daily recitation.
Iowa, like Nebraska, has no law about reciting the pledge in schools, but the Iowa Legislature is considering a proposal that would require the pledge to be said daily in all public and private schools.
Although Nebraska has no specific requirement about the pledge, state law sets several requirements related to citizenship education.
Elementary schools must spend at least one hour weekly teaching about American history, singing patriotic songs, memorizing the "Star-Spangled Banner" and "America" and teaching reverence for the flag.
Middle school students have to spend at least three periods weekly, for two years, learning about American history.
High school students have to learn about the U.S. Constitution and the Nebraska Constitution, the benefits of the American form of government and the duties of citizenship.
"Appropriate patriotic exercises" are required in all schools to mark Lincoln's and Washington's birthdays, Flag Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
The Education Committee took no immediate action on the bill.
World-Herald staff writer Teresa Lostroh contributed to this report.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com
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