A group of students are suspended from school because they chose not to salute the American flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance, citing religious reasons. The students' parents challenge the suspension, claiming that it violates their right to free exercise of religion. They also claim the pledge violates the establishment clause because it treats the flag as a "religious object" and because the pledge includes the phrase "under God."

Assemble an essay in the form of an argument on whether the local school board has violated the students' rights under the Constitution. In your essay, you must:

• Articulate a defensible claim or thesis that responds to the prompt and establishes a line of reasoning
• Support your claim or thesis with at least TWO pieces of accurate and relevant information:
• At least ONE piece of evidence must be from the U.S. Constitution (including amendments)
• At least ONE piece of evidence must be fromWisconsin v. Yoder(1972) orEngel v. Vitale(1962)
• Use reasoning to explain why your evidence supports your claim/thesis
• Respond to an opposing or alternative perspective using refutation, concession, or rebuttal