At our current school it is the same, the pledge is said and you can partake or not. It is even said at the graduation. Typically those that choose not to partake do so for religious reasons. Hard for an aetheist to say under One God, or for that fact a Buddhist or a Muslim, since their God is not called God.
At our last school in NC, there was no pledge, ironically 35% of the school were military dependents, BUT what I found more interesting was at graduation they had an invocation that ended with in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
I think it all comes down to what is socially acceptable for the demographics of that community.
Bruno, I agree with you. You have the option at some point or another to say I am 100% with this or I am not. My kids were all forced to learn the Nicene Creed, much earlier (8 for communion), it is up to them now to decide if they believe in that creed as adults. If they don't and they cannot support what they are asked to openly support, then there is a door and they can leave.
Am I the only one that finds this a little bit IRONIC, you want to use Freedom of Expression as a defense that is given to you as an AMERICAN, but you don't want to pledge your allegiance, support or faith to America. Isn't that called trying to have your cake and eat it too!
As a side note, it should not be shocking that this site takes offense by this action. There is a poem that goes through different things, but it's final stanza sums it all up
It is the soldier, who saluted the Flag,
who serves beneath the Flag
and whose coffin is draped by the Flag,
who allows the protester to burn the Flag
So if they take offense to this, maybe we should give them personal leeway and understand that it hurts them to see the people they are willing to die for ignore the simplistic request of acknowledging our country with a 30 second salute when others request that right.
Sorry, but to me I believe our schools have gone way too PC. That means everything! Gone are the days of Halloween parties, now there are Fall Festival parties. Gone are the days of Happy Holidays, to be replaced with Happy Winter. Gone are the days of Washington and Lincoln's Birthday, now we have President's Day. Looking at our primary schools, I sit in amazement, it seems that they bend over backwards to appease parents. The parents kvetch about academics slipping, yet want the quarterly 2 hour award ceremony. No lie, we went to awards night and they actually handed out the best DRIVER'S ED student award...are you kidding me?
I am not really wrapped up in this pledge situation as much as I am appalled at how we have gotten to a situation where every child must receive affirmation regardless. Maybe if we spent more time teaching them why the pledge was created they would get that our fore fathers faced great hardships and the world is not about blowing smoke up you bottom. Maybe then their generation will get the PC out of schools and back to true academics.