OPINION: School board refuses vote on adding patriotic activities in schools

In March 2023, I sponsored a School Board resolution to adopt new patriotic activities within Anchorage schools. The current Board Policy 6115 states: “The School Board encourages activities that instill pride in our country. The Pledge of Allegiance shall be recited, or patriotic exercises conducted on a regular basis as determined by the School Board.” Unfortunately, not all Anchorage schools say the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Board has rejected my past efforts to adopt additional “patriotic exercises.”

My Resolution 146 would have schools recognize Veteran’s Day, Sept. 11, 2001, and Pearl Harbor Day by playing the national anthem sometime during the school day. Additionally, Juneteeth and Independence Day would be recognized during the last week of the school year by reading two sentences from the beginning of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence over school speaker systems. Further, on Constitution Day, the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States would be read over the public address system or at a school-wide assembly. Constitution Day is a federal holiday and federal law requires public schools to recognize it as a condition of federal funding. Currently, Anchorage has no policy requiring this and various schools do various Constitution-related activities. Finally, the resolution calls for schools to play the national anthem and “Alaska’s Flag” at least once a month at some time during a school day.

Resolution 146 was referred to the School Board’s Governance Committee. The committee requested a report from the administration on current patriotic activities and held multiple meetings. Over the next year and some months, the committee adopted multiple amendments and the administration recommended the adoption of the amended resolution. In April this year, after the municipal election, the committee moved the resolution back to the full School Board with a recommendation of adoption.

At the May 21 meeting, after over a year in committee, Member Margo Bellamy moved to send the resolution back to committee and the board voted 5-2 to do so. Member Bellamy offered no specific reason and made no suggestions for changes. Member Andy Holleman, the new board president, joined me in voting against returning the resolution to committee. The only board member to offer any suggested changes was Member Kelly Lessens, who had drafted language that additional instruction be provided to students about the significance of these holidays. I supported that additional language, but she did not offer it prior to the resolution’s return to committee.

President Holleman has directed that at the Aug. 29 meeting of the School Board Governance Committee at 11 a.m., this resolution will be reconsidered. The public can attend these School Board committee meetings at the Education Center at 5530 East Northern Lights Blvd.

At some point, despite verbal protest otherwise, continuing to refuse to vote on adding patriotic activities in our schools will in fact be opposition to doing so. After more than a year, our community deserves a School Board up-or-down vote, on the record, on this proposal.

Dave Donley served 16 years in the Alaska Legislature, is in his third and final term on the Anchorage School Board and has twins in high school. This comment is from Donley as an individual and not on behalf of the Anchorage School Board or Anchorage School District.

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