Anchorage school board considers policy update to encourage patriotism in schools

Alaska Native Cultural Charter School students stitchery astatine nan commencement of nan schoolhouse time connected Feb. 20, 2024. Students singing nan promise of allegiance successful English and Yup’ik. (Tim Rockey / Alaska Public Media)

The Anchorage School Board will see a policy update adjacent period that encourages patriotism successful territory schools. The measurement was discussed during Tuesday’s schoolhouse committee meeting, and will look earlier nan committee for a last ballot astatine their adjacent meeting.

The argumentation mandates that nan Pledge of Allegiance beryllium recited regular and encourages different patriotic activities. It’s a watered-down type of a proposal from committee personnel Dave Donley that would person required Anchorage schools to play nan Star Spangled Banner and nan Alaska Flag Song during schoolhouse astatine nan opening of each month, and connected Veterans Day, Patriot Day and Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

The caller type removed nan request to play patriotic songs, opting to promote nan believe instead. 

“Other patriotic exercises shall beryllium identified, planned and conducted by schoolhouse leadership,” the policy states. “The committee encourages patriotic exercises which include, but will not beryllium constricted to, nan United States of America’s National Anthem and Alaska State Flag Song.”

It has wide support from nan board, but astatine Tuesday’s meeting, Donley said it doesn’t do capable arsenic presently written.

“The caller argumentation arsenic drafted, that we will beryllium voting connected astatine our adjacent meeting, I judge is wholly insufficient to guarantee an due level of instruction successful American traditions, civilization and history takes spot successful our schools, and lacks what is needed to guarantee achieving nan goal, which is our existing extremity of instilling patriotism successful our students,” Donley said.

Donley’s proposal besides moved nan request for students to singing nan Pledge of Allegiance regular from administrative regulations to committee policy.

Anchorage Moms for Liberty Chair Gabby Ide said her statement supported nan original policy, but felt that nan revisions made it “toothless.”

“I deliberation these patriotic duties are integral to our civilization arsenic Alaskans, our civilization arsenic Americans,” Ide said. “It would beryllium really important that our students spell done K-12 having repeated vulnerability to nan activities that were successful nan original proposal.”

The only different personification to speak astir nan connection was Alaska Black Caucus President Celeste Hodge Growden. Hodge Growden praised nan committee for including connection that allows students to beryllium silently during nan promise if they don’t want to participate and said she supports nan policy’s flexibility.

“Students being allowed to bring their unsocial and existent selves to this speech is basal if immoderate patriotic workout is to beryllium meaningful and relevant,” Hodge Growden said.
Currently, none of nan 5 largest school districts successful nan authorities mention nan nationalist anthem successful their committee policies. If passed during nan board’s adjacent gathering successful October, Anchorage School District would beryllium nan first.