H.B. No. 657 Summary

• Requires each city, local, exempted village, and joint vocational school district board to make its Pledge of Allegiance policy publicly available and post it on its publicly accessible website if one exists.

• Mandates that school district policies prohibit any student participation requirement in Pledge of Allegiance recitation and ban intimidation of students by other students or staff aimed at coercing participation.

• Prohibits school boards or employees from altering the words of the Pledge of Allegiance from the version set forth in 4 U.S.C. 4.

• Allows classroom teachers to provide reasonable periods of time for Pledge of Allegiance recitation, though no board of education may prohibit this practice.

• Establishes the bill as the Transparency in Pledge of Allegiance or "T.I.P.A." Act.