Thread: TUSD faces Pledge of Allegiance furor

TUSD faces Pledge of Allegiance furor
Josh Brodesky

The Tucson Unified School District has found itself tangled in a web of online discontent, following outrage over the way a second-grade class recites the Pledge of Allegiance.

For years, Gale Elementary School teacher Anne Lee has had her students recite the pledge in three languages — English, Spanish and American Sign Language — as a learning exercise. The kids start with English.

When Lance Altherr learned last week that his son was reciting the pledge in Spanish, he was outraged. He spoke with Lee and then Principal Paula Godfrey, demanding they stop the practice. They wouldn’t, and Altherr moved his son to a different class.

In the days before the Internet, that’s where the drama would have stopped.

But Altherr, who is a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, took his case to the Internet, sending out mass e-mails and posting on message boards.

The result has been a swirling Internet controversy marked by crushing e-mails sent from across the country to Godfrey and the district.
“You are pledging your allegiance, and your honor and loyalty to your country,â€

There is also a poll at this site:

Whose side do you take in the Pledge of Allegiance controversy?
TUSD: Reciting the pledge in Spanish and American Sign Language after first reciting it in English is a good learning tool. 52 %
Lance Altherr, the VFW and other supporters: Reciting the pledge in a foreign language demeans "a sacred and meaningful exercise" and is unpatriotic. 48 %

Total number of votes 112

I'll enter it on Polls if it isn't already there so it's seen.

Whose side do you take in the Pledge of Allegiance controversy?

TUSD: Reciting the pledge in Spanish and American Sign Language after first reciting it in English is a good learning tool. 49 %
Lance Altherr, the VFW and other supporters: Reciting the pledge in a foreign language demeans "a sacred and meaningful exercise" and is unpatriotic. 51 %

Total number of votes 842