Section 7-771 - Display of United States flag; development of patriotism(a) The board of school directors in each district shall, when they are not otherwise provided, purchase a United States flag, flagstaff, and the necessary appliances therefor, and shall display said flag upon or near each public school building in clement weather, during school hours, and at such other times as the board may determine.(b) All boards of school directors, all proprietors or principals of private schools, and all authorities in control of parochial schools or other educational institutions, shall display the United States national flag, not less than three feet in length, within all school buildings under their control during each day such schools are in session. In all public schools, the board of school directors shall make all rules and necessary regulations for the care and keeping of such flags. The expense thereof shall be paid by the school district.(c)(1) All supervising officers and teachers in charge of public, private or parochial schools shall cause the Flag of the United States of America to be displayed in every classroom during the hours of each school day and shall provide for the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance or the national anthem at the beginning of each school day. Students may decline to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and may refrain from saluting the flag on the basis of religious conviction or personal belief. The supervising officer of a school subject to the requirements of this subsection shall provide written notification to the parents or guardian of any student who declines to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or who refrains from saluting the flag.(2) This subsection shall not apply to any private or parochial school for which the display of the flag, the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance or the salute of the flag violates the religious conviction on which the school is based.(d) The supervising officers and teachers in charge of public, private or parochial schools may offer at least one full period per week, for the purpose of affirming and developing allegiance to and respect for the Flag of the United States of America, and for the promoting of a clear understanding of our American way of life, with all of the unparalleled individual opportunities, and our republican form of government, with its responsiveness to majority decisions and demands. Such elements shall be included in this program as instruction in the fundamental principles of our form of government, an understanding of the provisions of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Constitution of the United States of America, the values to be found in the freedom of speech, of religion and of the press, the values to be found in obedience to the laws of the land and the Commonwealth, the importance of exercising the right of franchise, the obligation of every citizen to stand ready to defend our country at all times from infiltration or aggression by those whose acts and ideologies are contrary to our American philosophy of life.1949, March 10, P.L. 30, art. VII, § 771. Amended 1952, Jan. 8, P.L. (1951) 1856, § 1; 2002, Dec. 9, P.L. 1334, No. 157, § 1, effective in 60 days.