The intent may be to create a more perfect Union.

But a new federal law requiring schools to recognize Constitution Day by teaching something about the founding document has left some teachers pleading the Fifth. Many local school districts aren't aware of the rule or are downplaying its significance.

Because Constitution Day — Sept. 17 — falls on a Saturday this year, schools had the option of teaching something about it this week or next.

In Seattle, the school district's legal department reminded teachers of their obligation in a newsletter this month: "One idea is to introduce Constitution Day and read the preamble to students," the newsletter states.

The preamble — "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union ... " etc. — is all of one sentence long.

At the Edmonds School District, spokeswoman Debbie Jakala said she was taken by surprise when a middle-school principal e-mailed her about it recently. That doesn't mean individual teachers didn't know about it, she added.

"I wasn't aware of the legislative change," Jakala said. "It must have fallen under the radar screen."

And at the Federal Way School District, spokeswoman Diane Turner said she thought that some teachers might be aware of the new requirement but others probably weren't. The district hadn't told teachers, she said.

"But we are going to surely make sure they are aware of it now," she said.

School districts are quick to point out, however, that students do routinely learn about the Constitution during social-studies lessons and other classes throughout the year.

At the University of Washington, where regular classes haven't started yet, the Registrar has sent out an e-mail to students telling them they can look at a special Constitution Day Web page.

While some schools are taking a laid-back approach, others have been more pro-active.

All of Lake Washington School District's teachers have been given lesson plans centered around the Constitution that they can follow, or they could make up their own, said Assistant Superintendent Cindy Meilleur.

Kentlake High School is displaying Constitution documents in the hallways, said Kent School District spokeswoman Becky Hanks.

Constitution Day was to be mentioned during the daily bulletin in the Northshore School District's junior high and high schools, and sample lesson plans were passed out to elementary schools, said spokeswoman Susan Stoltzfus. Fifth-graders are already learning about the Constitution as part of the social-studies curriculum, she added.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times reporter Rachel Tuinstra contributed to this report.