Pledge of Allegiance in schools?

I read this in todays Sunday Express. This was quoted from a book that was focusing on immigration.

He said Britain should follow the example of America, where children start their school days with a pledge of allegiance to the nation.

I don't think this is true anymore?

I think it depends entirely on the school, and sometimes on the individual classroom.  Some teachers or principals still insist on it, especially in more conservative regions.  Even then, I think it's mainly only in elementary schools. 

I graduated high school 7 years ago but we definitely had to at least acknowledge the pledge every morning and it was said over the loudspeaker.  Sometimes you'd get written up if you kept walking in the hallway or didn't stand if you were in a classroom.  No one said it, really, but it was there.  And I grew up in Central Jersey, a decidedly not conservative area.

Definitely still true -- and a source of great concern to DH as we will be bringing up the baby in the U.S., at least for the early years. Like the PP, I am from NJ, so not exactly a deeply conservative part of the country, either.

It was played over the loudspeaker and you didn't have to speak along or stand, but you did have to be respectful.  This was in PA. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_Board_of_Education_v._Barnette

In high school, I was suspended for refusing to stand and pledge.

Why did I refuse to do it? Because I felt it was unneccessary in a school setting. I was there to learn what I needed to and graduate. Not stand up and pledge to a flag and recite "UNDER GOD" every morning. I was and still am agnostic. And felt that them forcing me to do it was wrong. At the time, i felt the whole pledge thing was brainwashing and i felt like a robot doing it.

After I was suspended,I felt their approach and disipline with it was wrong,so I left and started attending night school

Not only do they do the Pledge at my son's school (which is only for PreK and Kingergarten - but is a public school), but they also have a School Pledge!

I find it all a bit too much, but he's young and doesn't even understand what he's saying. I'll be thinking harder about this once he gets a bit older as I'm opposed to forced patriotism - that actually bugs me more than the 'under God' bit.

Heee,
Ahem, as a teacher, I would "lead" my students in a different version of the Pledge each month. So one month we did it in French, one month in Spanish, one in Russian (the year I had a Russian student to teach us), and once in American Sign Language.  It was my minor rebellion to the entire "under god" thing. I almost got in trouble for it once, but they couldn't find any way of proving we were being disrespectful (which we WEREN'T, just creative), so they let it go.
I would infinitely prefer it to go away as I think it is unnecessary and, frankly, wasted time I would rather use to teach.

I'm opposed to forced patriotism - that actually bugs me more than the 'under God' bit.

absolutley 100% agree, its why i felt it was brainwashing and robotic like.

In high school, I was suspended for refusing to stand and pledge.

Why did I refuse to do it? Because I felt it was unneccessary in a school setting. I was there to learn what I needed to and graduate. Not stand up and pledge to a flag and recite "UNDER GOD" every morning. I was and still am agnostic. And felt that them forcing me to do it was wrong. At the time, i felt the whole pledge thing was brainwashing and i felt like a robot doing it.

After I was suspended,I felt their approach and disipline with it was wrong,so I left and started attending night school

Well, that is illegal and you should have taken the school to court. 

Wow!  I'm really surprised that so many people had to do it even in high school.  I went to a small, rural high school in central Wisconsin.  I would have thought that if *we* didn't have to do it, no one did.

Maybe it's generational?  I graduated in '97.

As one who grew up with not only the Pledge but also the Lord's prayer, I can understand how it all rankles a lot of people nowadays. But this was in the '50's and the Cold War so I guess you have to understand where they were coming from. I think we even had to sing the National Anthem as well.
I confess, though, that I did teach my kids the Pledge just so they knew what it was. It was just part of the cultural training I gave them, like reading "The midnight ride of Paul Revere" on the 19th of April (OK, call it brain-washing!)

Wow!  I'm really surprised that so many people had to do it even in high school.  I went to a small, rural high school in central Wisconsin.  I would have thought that if *we* didn't have to do it, no one did.

Maybe it's generational?  I graduated in '97.

Same here--I graduated in 99 from a high school in North Carolina but we never said the pledge, either.  I do believe we did this for a few years in elementary school but never past the 5th grade.

Wow!  I'm really surprised that so many people had to do it even in high school.  I went to a small, rural high school in central Wisconsin.  I would have thought that if *we* didn't have to do it, no one did.

Maybe it's generational?  I graduated in '97.

Nope, went to a huge, rural high school in Southern California, and a few years after I left it ended up being one of the test cases for "forcing" students to say the Pledge as some teacher was a complete tit to a Jehovah's Witness and screamed her into tears trying to force her to stand, which then led to a different student protesting and the ACLU stepping in. Also graduated in '97. I think is has a lot to do with your school board.

some history:
http://www.enotes.com/everyday-law-encyclopedia/school-prayer-pledge-allegiance

Nope, went to a huge, rural high school in Southern California, and a few years after I left it ended up being one of the test cases for "forcing" students to say the Pledge as some teacher was a complete tit to a Jehovah's Witness and screamed her into tears trying to force her to stand, which then led to a different student protesting and the ACLU stepping in. Also graduated in '97. I think is has a lot to do with your school board.

Yeah, I think it was the "under God" bit that was unacceptable to certain religious groups.  In the UK there are groups who get their kids excused from "assembly". I thought that our primary school was good that way, but I did wonder how those excused kids felt being set apart. (Kids always hate being different at that age)