The Alabama Senate passed a bill that would require schools to regularly perform the national anthem.
Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, is a statewide constitutional amendment that would require local boards of education to adopt policies to play the first stanza of “The Star Spangled Banner” in public K-12 schools once a week.
“This piece of legislation is one that I think will help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of this great country, and making sure that public schools in Alabama will have the opportunity to sing the first stanza of the national anthem once a week,” Allen said.
The bill would require local boards of education to play or broadcast the first stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner” during school hours, with a version archived with the Library of Congress. School boards could also adopt a policy to perform it with sheet music, also from the Library of Congress.