Posted on: Thursday, June 27, 2002

Hawai'i schools not sure how to proceed after ruling

By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer

More than 400 students at Waialae Elementary School stand up each day to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Now Principal Susan Miname isn't sure what they'll do.

In an unprecedented decision, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday that reciting the pledge is unconstitutional in public schools because it includes the words "under God," which violate the principle of separation of church and state by endorsing a religion.

If the ruling stands, schoolchildren in Hawai'i and eight other Western states covered by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals will not be allowed to say the pledge in class or at school events.

The decision shocked Miname and other Hawai'i school officials. The Board of Education, which opened its meeting last week with the pledge, may need to develop a policy before the new school year.

"It's a tradition," Miname said. "The purpose of school is to help kids learn to participate in a democratic society. I can't believe this after 9/11. This is very unsettling. Look at all the songs we sing: 'God Bless America' and the 'Star Spangled Banner.' "

Jill Mizokawa, who just completed the sixth grade at Noelani Elementary, has said the pledge every day at school since kindergarten. "It would change the school day a lot," she said. "The teacher always has everyone stand up and say it."

Her mother, Gail Mizokawa, a teacher at Central Middle School, said she also grew up reciting the pledge. "We did it every day. I think it's a good thing," she said. "Now that I'm a teacher, we give students the option to stand or sit or whatever they feel comfortable doing."

DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen said schools might be able to recite the pre-1954 pledge, which did not include the words "under God."

Board of Education Chairman Herbert Watanabe said they would consult with the attorney general on the issue. "It comes as a surprise," he said. "We'll have to see what the ramifications are."

Some older students, however, struggled to remember the last time they said the pledge.

"I don't think I've done it since kindergarten," said Maria Burke, 16, a junior at Punahou School. "We're supposed to do it in school, but no one does. It's not really an issue."

Burke and an estimated 20 percent of Hawai'i students attend private schools, which are not affected by the ruling.

Her classmate, sophomore Cassandra Loh, 15, said the last time she recited the pledge was after the tragedy of Sept. 11. "I can't remember it other than then."