Schools in Washington are required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily

[Jingles]

That would be good for the meaning to be discussed. Weren't there exceptions given to some students on account of religion or other beliefs?
Or am I confusing that with school prayer?

Yes there were exceptions given to some students early mid 60's due to religious beliefs

[mister_coffee]

We screwed up the pledge in 1954 when we added "under God" to it.

The 1892 Francis Bellamy version of the pledge was:

I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The pledge was originally written as part of a magazine promotion for the 1893 World's Fair, known as the World's Columbian Exposition (to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' trip across the Atlantic). It was somehow part of a lobbying campaign to make Columbus Day a national holiday.

[PAL]

That would be good for the meaning to be discussed. Weren't there exceptions given to some students on account of religion or other beliefs?
Or am I confusing that with school prayer?

[pasayten]

Schools in Washington are required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily. A new bill would make sure students actually understand what it means
ELENA PERRY The Spokesman-Review 22 hrs ago
Washington students Pledge of Allegiance

Across the nation, school children share the ritual of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every morning before class as they have done for decades, likely as long as anyone alive today can remember.

Although it’s been a practice for generations, a group of middle-schoolers in Eatonville, Washington, realized that while they’re expected to say the words, they don’t know the intention or the history of the saying that kicks off their school day.

“The other day, my friend kept repeating the word ‘ravioli’ instead of the actual pledge words. I was annoyed,” said Eatonville seventh-grader Elijah Whatley. “We have concluded that the reason for this behavior is barely any children understand the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance.”