moment of silence & pledge of allegience?

Question

is there a law concerning these two things in schools in the state of ga? my school doesnt do them, but i thought you had to do them legally.

aren't you required to have them, but not required to participate?

Answer 1

You do not have to do them legally. It's up to the local school policy. The word "God" has many of them abstaining from the Pledge. The moment of silence seems to be fading away. Politically correct seems to be the order of the day.

Answer 2

Last I heard, this was a free country and you cannot force or require anyone to participate in a moment of silence or the pledge of allegiance. My 3rd grade teacher made us pray, but thankfully the courts now prohibit teachers and others from forcing their religion on others.

Answer 3

There is no requirement to have them, many school boards, esp ones targeted by the ACLU on other matters, just don't want to risk the high cost of lawyers.

Many of the GA schools have had alot of attacks from liberals and the blackmail that the ACLU does against people of moral values.

Answer 4

If it's a religious school, then yes, they probably can require you to recite things containing God in them. The public schools remain neutral on religion. They cannot endorse any particular religion or use school time for prayers. If the pledge of allegiance is recited, children will not get in trouble for being silent or for omitting the part about God. That moment of silence can be used for silent prayer, meditation, daydreaming or whatever the individual wants to use it for.

Note for mrmsrich:
Some countries have an official religion. Some force all of their people to practice the same religion. Others outlaw all religions alltogether. We are not one of those countries. The 1st ammendment guarantees freedom of religion. That means that all people here are free to practice any religion they please, or no religion at all. That means our country does not endorse any one religion for its citizens.

If you keep up with the news & court cases, you probably know that public buildings such as schools or court houses cannot post religious statues, the 10 commandments, religious decorations, etc. The ones who have tried to do this in government places have been court ordered to have them removed. People are free to do that at home or in their places of worship. It is not appropriate for public schoolteachers to lead students in prayers in the classroom or at school activites. They may teach ABOUT religions in general, but not by endorsing any particular religion over any other .

If parents want their children to be taught a specific religion, they have the option of sending them to the religious school of their choice, or by teaching them that at home. This is by no means to disrespect your own particular religion, whatever it may be. The job of public schools is to provide an education for ALL of our children, it is not to provide religion. If you have further questions, you can find tons of information about this online or by contacting your school administrators.