Pennsylvania ? A federal court on Tuesday barred education officials from enforcing a state law that requires public and private school students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Kelly agreed with the arguments of several plaintiffs, including a private school in Harrisburg, that the law violated students’ right to freedom of expression.

The law also requires the American flag to be displayed in every classroom when school is in session.

Under the law, students can decline to recite the pledge and salute the flag on the basis of religious conviction or personal belief, but school officials must notify the parents of students who decline.