Iowa Might Mandate Students Sing the National Anthem Every Day

A new piece of legislation in the Iowa legislature is making waves across the country.

At Wednesday's (January 24th) Iowa House subcommittee meeting, House Study Bill 587 advanced on to the next step in the process to become a law. The vote was 2-1 and passage was recommended.

This law would have public schools require all teachers and students to sing at least one verse of the National Anthem every single school day.

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Let's Dive into the Details On this Bill

In this new bill, the Iowa state government would make the board of directors of each public school require all instructors, teachers, and students to stand and sing the 'Star Spangled Banner.'

All those who are physically able to stand must do so and be at attention whilst removing anything they are wearing on their head (unless it is worn for religious purposes).

At the end of the legislative session on Wednesday, there were quite a few objections. Sue Cahill, a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 52nd actually got up and sang the National Anthem at the conclusion of the meeting to make a point.

"The school classroom is not the place for mandating the singing of the national anthem, thus mandating patriotism for students," Cahill said.

"I think that’s something students choose and it’s something that they learn and they’ll learn it in other ways."

A section of this bill is also requiring social studies classes to make learning about the National Anthem a part of their curriculum.

This piece of legislation states that teachers must teach;

"...the meaning and history of the national anthem, the object and principles of the government of the United States, the sacrifices made by the founders of the United States, the important contributions made by all who have served in the armed forces of the Unites States in the founding, and how to love, honor, and respect the national anthem. "

In addition, the bill as it is right now would not force teachers or students to sing the anthem if they don't want to.

The board of directors of all public schools will have to make them aware of the fact that they can "object to singing any portion of the national anthem."

This is still a developing story, so we will make sure to keep you updated as more details come out about this piece of legislation.

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