Atlanta school ditches the Pledge of Allegiance because too many students were protesting

As of this Tuesday, an Atlanta charter school will no longer recite the Pledge of Allegiance in the mornings.

In a newsletter from this week, Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School announced that students will be given a chance to say the Pledge at another time during the school day if they choose to do so. The decision was made by elementary campus president Lara Zelski to “begin our day as a fully inclusive and connected community.”

According to the newsletter, over the years “it has become increasingly obvious that more and more of our community were choosing to not stand and/or recite the pledge.”

Many see the move as an example of what peaceful protest can achieve.

“It’s absolutely the right move,” Hemant Mehta of the Friendly Atheist writes.

“If any other country made kids pledge an oath to their flag every day in school, we’d call it a form of brainwashing,” he continued. “True patriotism doesn’t require daily pledges — and that’s especially true when we live in a country where “liberty and justice for all” is only aspirational, not the status quo.”

Zelinski said teachers and the school staff “will be working with students to create a school pledge that we can say together at morning meeting. This pledge will focus on students’ civic responsibility to their school family, community, country and our global society.”

“I am really looking forward to what our students create.”

Featured image via Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School 

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.