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Students and teachers urge support for HB117, the Pledge of Allegiance Act, at House Education hearing

House Education Committee · May 20, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Student and teacher witnesses told the House Education Committee that daily recitation and classroom curriculum tied to the Pledge of Allegiance build civic awareness and unity; lawmakers questioned how the measure protects students who opt out and how curriculum would be implemented.

A series of student and teacher witnesses urged the Ohio House Education Committee to back House Bill 117, the Pledge of Allegiance Act, during a second hearing where proponents tied the measure to veteran recognition and civic education.

Grace Barkas, a Life Scout and sophomore at Marysville Early College High School, told the panel she recited the pledge each morning through eighth grade and that restoring the practice in later grades “help[s] students around the state learn to appreciate what the Pledge of Allegiance means to families with friends and relatives serving our country.” She testified the pledge gave her a daily opportunity…

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