McDougle Elementary PTA co-president Pat Lewis said she has no personal objection to the pledge being recited in school, but she wants the school to take into consideration the feelings of those parents who might. Lewis said 25 percent of the student body were non-white students, some of whom might not be receptive to reciting the pledge."That's a quarter of our students who come from varied backgrounds, and we have to be tolerant," Lewis said.
[Ed.: In the wake of the terrorist attacks, many parents and students had been gathering informally on the school steps to recite the pledge.]