Iowa Bill Would Force Students To Sing Anthem Daily

Des Moines’ ABC affiliate reports:

A new bill in the Iowa House of Representatives would make it a legal requirement for public school students and teachers in grades 1-12 to sing the national anthem. The proposed bill passed the subcommittee in a 2-1 vote. The bill would mandate students to sing the anthem at least once a day and for social studies classes to teach about the meaning and history of the national anthem. Physically able students would need to “stand at attention” and “remove any headdress that is not being worn for religious purposes.”

Des Moines’ NBC affiliate reports:

Connie Ryan, Executive Director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, compared it to what Adolph Hitler did when he took power in Germany. “Adolph Hitler became the chancellor of Germany in January 1933 and made a national anthem required for all students, all people to know, to be able to sing, to sing it at the same tempo. There were lots of different requirements the Nazis put on that,” Ryan said. “That is not my idea of a free democracy, and I would urge us to oppose this legislation simply on those grounds.”

The bill’s author, Rep. Skyler Wheeler [photo], last appeared here in March 2023 when he sponsored a bill to place a ban on same-sex marriage in the state constitution in case Obergefell ever gets overturned. Wheeler is also the author of recent anti-trans legislation.

An Iowa bill would make students sing the national anthem every day. One lawmaker sang it https://t.co/DI3PiAJx4d

— Des Moines Register (@DMRegister) January 24, 2024