Colo. School Apologizes Over Pledge Change

[Kadie]

Colo. School Apologizes Over Pledge Change

Friday, April 22, 2005


(04-22) 14:39 PDT Wheat Ridge, Colo. (AP) --


A school counselor leading the Pledge of Allegiance over the public address system substituted "one nation under your belief system" for "one nation under God." The school apologized for the impromptu switch after students and parents complained.


Everitt Middle School counselor Margo Lucero said her change of words was "a spur-of-the-moment choice" meant to be more inclusive on the sixth anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings on Wednesday.


Principal Kathleen Norton, who was out of the building at the time, apologized to students Thursday and planned to send letters of apology to parents. Jefferson County School District Superintendent Cindy Stevenson called the change completely inappropriate.


"We completely believe any teacher or student has the right to follow their individual conscience," Stevenson said. "However, when leading children, you adhere to the Pledge of Allegiance."

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/04/22/national/a143943D53.DTL

[DRoseDARs]

1. Well that was dumb...

Why not say it in its pre-Red Scare form and just drop the "under God" portion?

[mbperrin]

2. So any student or teacher has the right to follow their

individual conscience, except this one, right?

Do these folk even listen to themselves?

[NashVegas]

3. Sounds Like Freedom of Expression to Me

;)

[7th_Sephiroth]

4. ah yes

"We completely believe any teacher or student has the right to follow their individual conscience," Stevenson said. "However, when leading children, you adhere to the Pledge of Allegiance."

<translation>

"the teacher can sue our asses, so we can't diciplin him and make him read the bible for punishment, but trust us, the only things your kids are gonna learn about are jesus(tm) and how he died for our sins(C)(TM)"

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. I leave out the words "under God"

every day when we say it at school. No one has ever said anything about it.

[CRK7376]

9. Me too,

along with when we are at Scout meetings etc...

[coloradodem2005]

6. Whatever.

We have established years ago that freedom of speech doesn't exist.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WillParkinson]

10. And....?

Why should she not have left it out?

Is everyone so afraid of offending the religious sensibilities of someone else? Is this the new politically correct? It's OK to hand out religious themed items in school as long as they're Christian but when you try to say it's OK to believe, or not, in something else it's wrong?

Please explain to me why she should have said it.

[susanna]

12. Why?

I am interested in your thoughts.

[kainah]

8. that is so funny!

I love that. Here we are, so patriotic and all, and making up our very own pledges whenever we feel like it. I love it.

[IndianaGreen]

11. Let's drop the 1954 "Under God" nonsense that a GOP Congress

wrote into the Pledge.

Let's go back to the original Pledge of Allegiance:

'I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'

http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm