During fifth period every day at Mount Vernon High School, the Pledge of Allegiance is spoken over the intercom like clockwork. It’s not by choice but rather because Governor Kim Reynolds signed House Bill 847 into law in 2021, requiring the Pledge of Allegiance to be said in all public schools in Iowa. This bill made Iowa a part of the other 46 states in America that require the Pledge of Allegiance to be recited. However, the choice is up to students whether or not they choose to stand up and recite it or sit quietly. Both sides have their reasons, but they rarely get communicated to the other side, leading to hasty assumptions.
House Bill 847 mandated the American flag to be displayed in classrooms and the Pledge of Allegiance to be spoken in school, but it does not require students to recite or even stand during it. Students at Mount Vernon High School differ in their opinions on whether to stand or sit. An email survey conducted at Mount Vernon High School showed that just under 70% of students stand for the pledge of allegiance, 20% choose to sit,and the remaining 10% sometimes stand and sometimes sit. Sophomore Zach Broomhall says he stands for the Pledge of Allegiance because, “It’s important to pay your respects to the people that have helped protect your rights and liberties.”
Many students in the Mount Vernon High School anonymous survey sided with Broomhall, stating on the survey that standing and reciting the Pledge was a way to show respect to the people who have protected their liberties. One student said, “I choose to stand for the pledge because of the people that have fought and lost their lives for this country.”
On the other side, though, brothers Ben and Milo Slauson both said they sit for the Pledge of Allegiance. “I don’t stand for the pledge of allegiance because I feel that there is inequality, and I believe sitting shows I don’t stand for the inequality in America,” Milo Slauson, a sophomore, said. Ben Slauson, a senior, shared a similar opinion, saying how he disagrees with some of the country’s ways and chooses to sit to show he doesn’t stand for them.
A few students asurveyed added their reasoning on why they sit for the Pledge of Allegiance. One of the biggest arguments against standing is because of our government. One student went as far as to say, “I sit because I refuse to pledge my loyalty to a country run by dinosaurs who cannot fathom change or progression.”
Mount Vernon High School social studies teacher Ed Timm said that he doesn’t always stand. “I’m not gonna be told by the government I have to do anything,” he said. “If It fits in my schedule, if I want to do it, yea, I’ll do it, but it has nothing to do with how I feel about our country. It has everything to do about it being mandated telling me I have to do it. I don’t think that’s in any way, shape or form patriotism.”
Most students at Mount Vernon High School have no idea why the other side either chooses to sit or stand. Never having the opportunity to listen to what the other side has to say lets students make assumptions about their justifications. Broomhall acknowledges that it is a person’s right to sit but also says, “I don’t see why not; it’s simply just standing and reciting the pledge. I feel that it’s less a pledge to the government and more to the people within our country.”
On the other side of the spectrum, though, Milo Slauson believes that people who stand and recite the pledge aren’t always thinking about what they’re doing. “They probably just stand for the government without question.”
