S.C. Code Ann. § 59-1-455

This is the official text of S.C. Code Ann. § 59-1-455, part of South Carolina’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of South Carolina, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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SECTION 59-1-455. Time for pledge of allegiance required.

Official statutory text

Beginning with the 1991-92 school year, all public school students, commencing with grades kindergarten through and including high school, shall during the course of each school day's activities at a specific time which must be designated by the local school say the Pledge of Allegiance as follows: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Any person not wishing to say the "Pledge of Allegiance" or otherwise participate in saying the "Pledge of Allegiance" is exempt from participation and may not be penalized for failing to participate. A person who does not wish to participate may leave the classroom, may remain in his seat, or may express his nonparticipation in any form which does not materially infringe upon the rights of other persons or disrupt school activities.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.