PHOENIX — Kids in Arizona may soon be required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance every day at school.
Rep. John Fillmore (R-Apache Junction) proposed a bill that would make the recitation of the pledge a daily requirement unless a parent informs the school that their child is not permitted to participate. The bill also would force schools to allow for at least a minute of each day for "quiet reflection and moral reasoning," The Associated Press reported.
The American Civil Liberties Union says Fillmore's plan is unconstitutional, the AP reported.
Arizona schools must currently give time to students to say the pledge if they want to, but participation is not mandated.
An ACLU spokesperson, citing West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, said the Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that forcing students to recite the pledge is unconstitutional, KTAR reported.