im 20 for reference. ever since i was a kid, up until hs, we were forced every morning to stand, look at the flag and hold our hearts and say:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”
i didnt stand a single time because i disagreed with being forced, and i was berated by the teacher in front of everyone, and he threatened to kick me out of class if i ever did it again. i was about 11-12 then, it was 2015.
Went to Catholic school from 1976 through 1987. We did the pledge in the morning through … fifth grade? Maybe through eighth, but I don’t really remember. Definitely not in high school. In those early years, I wasn’t aware enough to know that I even could not want to recite it, let alone having the knowledge that I legally didn’t even have to recite it, or even stand up for it.
When my kids were going to public elementary, they did it, too. Very early on, one of my kids didn’t like to do it, but it was more about social anxiety than making a political statement. So even though I was well aware of the legal rights around the pledge in school, I did encourage that child to participate when they could, because taking part in a group activity like that was a healthier choice than not for them at that age.
We’ve since all had plenty of political/legal discussions, including around the pledge and its history, so they all make their own choices now, if the high school even has students recite it at all.