A school board in North Dakota is no longer saying the Pledge of Allegiance at meetings.
The Fargo school board in North Dakota voted 7-2 to stop reciting the pledge.
Board member Seth Holden said other members took issue with the word “God” in the pledge.
“Given that the word ‘God’ in the text of the Pledge of Allegiance is capitalized,” Holden said.
He added, “The text is clearly referring to the Judeo-Christian god and therefore, it does not include any other face such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, all of which are practiced by our staff and students at FPS.”
Holden went on to call the pledge a “non-inclusionary act.”
A statement on the school board’s website states that “education is better where schools are composed of students, teachers, and families drawn from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, ‘races’/ ethnicities, religions, and sexual orientations.”
The statement continues, “Yet a diverse school community alone is not enough. Inclusion matters.”
The decision sparked strong reactions on Twitter.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeted, “This lunacy is infesting school boards across the country—even North Dakota!”
This lunacy is infesting school boards across the country—even North Dakota! https://t.co/48k6cyZhd0
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 12, 2022
Political commentator Lou Dobbs wrote, “God Save the Republic!”
God Save the Republic! Fargo, North Dakota School Board Cancels Pledge of Allegiance#TheGreatAmericaShow https://t.co/u1VGqI4r12
— Lou Dobbs (@LouDobbs) August 11, 2022
Another user called the move “disgusting,” adding, “The Fargo School Board’s decision is an insult to the values of our Great Country and to everyone who has given their life to defend our liberties. The School Board’s assertion that the Pledge of Allegiance violates their so-called ‘diversity rule’ is absurd.”
Disgusting. The Fargo School Board's decision is an insult to the values of our Great Country and to everyone who has given their life to defend our liberties. The School Board's assertion that the Pledge of Allegiance violates their so-called “diversity rule” is absurd. https://t.co/ddBXCvnuKD
— Ethan Harsell (@ethan_harsell) August 11, 2022
Vice President of the Fargo School Board Jake Schmitz commented on the vote during an interview with Fox News.
“The next logical step in the progression is [they’ll] want to remove it from schools because it’s a non-inclusionary act which is a bunch of crap,” Schmitz said.
Fargo mother Allie Ollenburger also told the outlet the board is more concerned with “petty politics.”
She explained, “Clearly, as a military veteran, listening to the disrespectful, disgusting monologue was heartbreaking.”
