By Michael Bielawski
The Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District Board (SVUESD) voted shortly before Christmas to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited every day inside the school building.
“The SVUESD board of directors directs the pledge of allegiance is to be recited on each school day inside the building before instructional time starts,” the motion stated after a 5-1 vote.
The vote occurred at their Dec. 17 meeting. Vermont is one of only three states that don’t require the saying of the pledge, Iowa and Wyoming are the other two. Also of note, Dec. 28 was National Pledge of Allegiance Day.
VDC reported in October on the various communities that comprise this district. The SVUESD includes Mt. Anthony Union High School in Bennington as well as schools in Pownal, Arlington, Shaftsbury, and Sandgate.
Vermonters frustrated
Earlier in the fall of 2024, the district was widely reported on social media to be banning the pledge. News 10 out of Albany, NY, initially reported that parents were saying their children attending Shaftsbury Elementary School would no longer be allowed to say the pledge.
Former Vermont GOP Chair Brady Toensign took to X to share his frustration. He wrote in October, “Straight from the you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up files #vtpoli: Vermont School officials worry that saying the Pledge of Allegiance will harm students and are working to create a more ‘inclusive’ version.”
In response to social media backlash, SVUESD Superintendent James R. Culkeen issued a statement clarifying that the pledge was not banned and said the SVUESD would work to develop a “consistent practice” for its recital.
She wrote, “On its face, the ”opt-out” choice seems reasonable. But as we’ve learned, when students do so, it highlights differences between our kids. It disrupts the community and excludes kids who just want to be a part of their classrooms. Classroom teachers, building Principals, and school staff should not be leading activities during instructional time that make our kids feel separate from their classmates, no matter how well-intentioned the activities may be.”
Another commenter also on X suggested that saying the pledge should be required.
User @802direct wrote, “There’s no reason to display a cross in a public school. It wasn’t displayed in any public school that I attended in Vermont. However, we did recite the pledge of allegiance every day before school followed by song in grade school. That should be mandatory in honor of our country.”The Bennington Banner reported in November that there was consideration to have the pledge said by all participating students say it together at a single location in each school, giving those who don’t wish to say it the option to stay in their classrooms. The idea was turned down over logistical challenges.
Patriotism waning?
The America First Policy Institute suggests that states should generally require the pledge, and they suggest that there could be an opt-out form for individual students’ parents to sign if they wish not to participate.
Their report notes some concerning stats regarding American patriotism.
“A 2021 poll from Ipsos revealed that while 69 percent of those polled said they were proud to be American, this figure was bolstered by baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964), with 84 percent responding affirmatively,” the report states. “Among millennials (1981 to 1996), only about half—52 percent—said they were proud to be American.”
Started after the Civil War
The Pledge of Allegiance was originally started back during the nation’s deadliest conflict on American soil, the Civil War. News Center 1 TV based in South Dakota reported on Dec. 28, “The Pledge of Allegiance has undergone several changes since its inception in 1892. Originally penned by Captain George Thatcher Balch during the Civil War, it did not include the phrase ‘under God.’ That addition came in 1954 during the Cold War era.”
The author is a writer for the Vermont Daily Chronicle