MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) -- A bill going through Alabama's legislature would require public K-12 schools to "broadcast or sanction" the National Anthem once a week.
The bill, SB2, would propose an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama 2022. It would require each public school to broadcast the first stanza of the National Anthem at least once a week during school hours.
The first stanza of Francis Scott Key's The Star Spangled Banner is what is commonly referred to as the National Anthem. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.
In the bill, lawmakers cite, "For over 100 years, The Star-Spangled Banner has served to inspire generations of patriotic Americans, and it is imperative that students have exposure to this history and inspiration."
Senator Gerald Allen (R-Tuscaloosa) states that there are options to how it is broadcasted. Either the local Board of Education (BoE) can select "any recording of the first stanza of the Star Spangled Banner that is archived within the Library of Congress and available on the Library of Congress website."
Another option given was that the BoE could allow "for the performance of the first stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner from original sheet music, archived within the Library of Congress and available on its website, by a school-sanctioned band program, choral program, vocal group, or vocalist."
If this bill passes through the legislature, it would then be presented to Alabamaians to vote on during the next election cycle.
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