Harrisburg, Pa. ? The patriotic atmosphere following the Sept. 11 attacks – together with a backlash against a federal court ruling – have prompted more and more states to require that the Pledge of Allegiance be said in school.

Twenty-eight states require public school classes to recite the pledge, according to the Education Commission of the States, a national association of education officials. Seven more encourage schools to conduct the pledge.

As of September, 16 states had passed laws during the 2001-02 session or had legislation pending that required or encouraged reciting the pledge in schools, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Three of those states – Tennessee, Illinois and Missouri – enacted laws requiring or encouraging the Pledge of Allegiance since an appeals court declared the phrase “under God” in the pledge unconstitutional in June.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California on June 26 barred the practice of reciting the pledge in school because of the phrase, which Congress inserted in 1954. The court blocked its own decision from being enforced to allow for appeals.

Proponents of the pledge have continued to push forward, pursuing legislation requiring the pledge.

“Since Sept. 11 especially, it’s been an issue that legislators really rallied behind, and it seems that it’s something that most of them can agree on,” said Greta Durr, an education-policy analyst with the council.

Civil libertarians are urging caution about the trend.

“Unfortunately, too many people allow them to wave the flag and forget that they haven’t done anything to improve the public schools with all this flag-waving,” said Larry Frankel, legislative director of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Despite the push to require the pledge, court rulings still guarantee students the right not to participate.