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Lin: It differs from place to place, and within schools from classroom to classroom. Most schools would allow you to register an objection to participation with the teacher and/or principal and allow your kids to opt out by sitting quietly. Certain religious groups are routinely allowed to do so. I personally don't see the point of a daily pledge, but neither do I find it objectionable so long as participation is entirely voluntary.
The Pledge of Allegience is read daily over the intercom system at the school where I teach. Students in my class have the option of standing and participating, standing but not reciting, or sitting quitetly for the duration if they for whatever reason decide they do not want to participate. The only requirement is that they be silent during the pledge out of respect for those who do choose to recite it.
The teacher here was a little out of line, but there's not enough here to judge his abilities as a teacher overall. It could be one bad day, or it could be the culmination of a lot of pushing by the students.
The boys here who were secretly recording things and then published the recording without the participants permission were way out of line and deserved severe punishment.
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