A group of students at South Portland High School, led by senior class president Lily SanGiovanni, plan to make a presentation to the School Leadership Team later this month regarding the daily reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

According to Principal Ryan Caron, SanGiovanni and several of her friends are concerned that students at the school feel pressure to stand and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance when it is recited over the intercom each day, even though it is not a requirement to say the pledge.

Their goal, Caron said, is to make sure that students understand they have the right not to stand and repeat the pledge if they don’t wish to. That’s why SanGiovanni began adding the words, “if you want to,” following her invitation to stand and recite the pledge every morning.

Caron said this action followed an earlier attempt to replace the pledge with a moment of silence. That proposal did find favor with the leadership team, but Caron said he encouraged the students to come back with another proposal.

Instead, SanGiovanni began publicly letting students know they had the option of reciting the pledge. Caron said he asked her to stop a couple weeks ago, because she had not gone through the proper channels.

This week he said that SanGiovanni and the other students are now in the midst of putting together a new proposal for the leadership team to consider when it meets again on March 19. He said a final vote regarding their new idea could be held on April 2.

“I have encouraged the students to follow the process and to bring a new proposal (forward),” Caron said. “We have (also) talked about getting input from more students and/or staff to create a more comprehensive presentation.”

Caron added, “I am disappointed that the initial reporting of the story may have created the appearance of an adversarial relationship between the students and the staff members of the high school. Lost on many was the working relationship between students and staff, and the fact that the students of SPHS are aware of their rights in regard to the pledge.”

He said that SanGiovanni and her friends “were simply interested in changing the way that the pledge is delivered each day. The students argued that even though our students understand their right not to participate, a change was necessary because the reading of the pledge over the intercom creates an inherent pressure.”

Caron said that when he asked SanGiovanni to stop adding the phrase “if you want to” it was only “because they had not followed the district-approved process for change. The students said they understood and that they would begin work on a new proposal,” he said.

Overall, Caron said, “I am proud of the South Portland School Department for developing students who understand their rights and are passionate about making changes and also for having processes in place for students and staff members to voice their opinions and make change happen. I have enjoyed working with these young ladies and will continue to support them as they work through the process.”

SanGiovanni did not respond to a request for comment on this story.