This paper reviews various court decisions, especially West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, regarding the right of public school students to refuse to participate in mandatory patriotic school exercises and discusses the attitudes of teachers regarding mandatory participation. In Barnette, the Supremee Court, by a six-to-three majority, ruled that it was unconstitutional for public school officials to require students to salute and pledge allegiance to the flag at the risk of expulsion from school. Three conclusions drawn from literature on attitudes are: educators' attitudes about the legal rights of public students have been found, in some instances, to be positively related to the treatment of students in a manner that complies with existing legal precedent; teachers should serve as role models for students during their formative years by setting an example for interpreting the meaning of civil liberties; and an important part of fulfilling teachers' leadership function lies in establishing and maintaining attitudes supportive of students' legal rights. A sample of 57 preservice and 33 inservice teachers in an undergraduate foundations of education course reported their opinions of a statement that public school students should be required to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance and flag salute ceremony. A total of 54 percent of preservice teachers and 39 percent of inservice teachers agreed with the statement; 77 percent of all subjects perceived their knowledge of this area of the law to be low; and the majority had received no training. Recommendations are made for further studies in areas regarding students' legal rights. (Contains 63 references.) (CK)