Action Alert

Florida Humanists: Help Students Sit Out the Pledge

Dear Friend,

2016 is just getting underway, but religious conservatives in the Florida state legislature are wasting no time in trying to weaken the separation between church and state.

Two bills were just introduced in the Florida House and Senate that would infringe upon public school students’ First Amendment right to opt out of standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

HB 1403, introduced by Rep. Doug Broxson, and SB 1600, introduced by Sen. Greg Evers, would change a law which requires posted notices in a public space that inform students of their right to not participate in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, as long as they have written permission from a parent. Instead, the new bills would remove the posted notices and only require schools to mention students’ right to non-participation in the Pledge in student handbooks, while continuing to require students to provide written permission to sit during the Pledge.

These bills make it harder for students to know about their rights, while at the same time supporting the unnecessary requirement that students’ get permission to opt out of the Pledge. We need your help right now to make sure that these bills don’t pass the state legislature and become the law of the land.

Take a moment right now and let your State Representative and Senator know you oppose any bill that would make it harder for students to know their rights about the Pledge of Allegiance.

Rather than waste taxpayer time and money by removing these helpful public notices, the Florida legislature should be focusing on ways to protect the rights of its citizens. Fight back against this attack on the separation of church and state by contacting your legislators right now using our simple action alert system.

Sincerely,

Roy-signature.png

Roy Speckhardt

Executive Director

The American Humanist Association

The American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of Humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming worldview of Humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

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