Almost 52 million American school students are expected to take part in a synchronized recital of the Pledge of Allegiance on Friday, Oct. 12, 2001 as part of the Department of Education's Pledge Across America.

In planning Pledge Across America, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige contacted more than 100,000 public and private elementary and secondary school principals around the country to encourage them to participate. "Teachers in every community in America have been working with students to help them understand what happened on September 11 and to overcome their fears and concerns," Paige wrote to the principals. "They have also worked to teach them more about our proud and rich national history and the foundations of our free society.

"Today, I ask students, teachers, parents and other proud Americans across the country to join me in showing our patriotism by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at a single time and with a unified voice this Friday," Paige said. "Together, we can send a loud and powerful message that will be heard around the world: America is 'one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'"

The synchronized Pledge of Allegiance will begin on October 12, 2001 at 2 p.m. EDT, 1 p.m. CDT, Noon, MDT, 11 a.m. PDT, 10 a.m. in Alaska, and 8 a.m. in Hawaii. Paige will be participating in the Pledge Across America with students from a Washington, D.C., area school and details of his visit will be available later in the week.

Pledge Across America is being organized by Celebration USA, a nonprofit organization whose "purpose is to teach children the basic principles of American democracy and to invigorate patriotism."

More information about Pledge Across America can be found on the Education Department's Web site at:

• Pledge Across America
  All the details including an image of the Pledge Across America poster you can download to distribute at your school.
  
  
• Text of Secretary Paige's Letter to Principals

In addition to encouraging schools across the country to participate in the Pledge Across America program, the department has offered grants and other support services to school districts directly affected by the terrorist attacks and has developed suggestions for parents, educators and other caring adults to help them meet the needs of all children in the aftermath of the attacks and as we begin a global war against terrorism. These suggestions and links to other Web resources are posted on the department's Web site at http://www.ed.gov/