An upstate New York high school angered families by deciding to have the Pledge of Allegiance read in Arabic.
Pine Bush High School, located roughly 70 miles outside New York City, apologized “to any students, staff or community members who found this activity disrespectful,” a local CBS affiliate reported Thursday.
The controversy stems from the school’s decision to work the Pledge of Allegiance into its National Foreign Language Week activities.
“The intention was to promote the fact that those who speak a language other than English still pledge to salute this great country,” the school’s statement read, the station reported.
“Had it been done in Spanish first or Japanese first, we wouldn’t be having this conversation today,” Principal Aaron Hopmayer added.
The school said that veterans, families of veterans and Jewish community members called in to complain.
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“Judging [from] what the country is dealing with now with extreme Muslims and all the war and stuff over there, I wouldn’t have started off with Arabic,” resident William Steiger added, the station reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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