Arizona House Passes a Bill That Would Force Children To Say the Pledge of Allegiance

A bill aimed at forcing Arizona’s public school students to recite the Pledge of Alliance each day passed the state House this week. Despite opponents citing that the measure is clearly unconstitutional, the House’s Republican majority is pressing forward.

“We stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day on this floor. What’s good for us is good for the children,” Rep. Barbara Parker (R–Mesa), who sponsored House Bill 2523, said during a hearing for the bill.

H.B. 2523, which was introduced last month, seeks to require that the state’s public primary and secondary schools “set aside a specific time each day for students who wish to recite the pledge of allegiance to the United States flag,” adding that “each student shall recite the pledge of allegiance to the United States at this time.” The bill allows students to refuse only when they are over 18 or have parental permission to refuse to recite the pledge.

“This is to make sure that students growing up understand the country in which they live and embrace the citizenship and the founding principles that we hold so dear,” said state Sen. Wendy Rogers (R–Flagstaff).

The bill passed on Tuesday along party lines, with Republicans exclusively supporting the measure. It will likely pass the Republican-controlled state Senate. However, the bill is blatantly illegal, and even if it manages to someh