Samuel Case, FISM News
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A North Dakota school board voted to end its practice of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before meetings because the phrase “under God” is not inclusive.
In a 7-2 decision on Tuesday, The Fargo School Board nixed the reciting of the pledge before each meeting, ending a practice that began in April of this year, according to the North Dakota outlet Inforum.
Board member Seth Holden, who voted against adopting the pledge in the first place, took issue with the phrase “Under God,” saying it makes the pledge a “non-inclusionary act.”
“The text is clearly referring to the Judeo-Christian God and therefore, it does not include any other faiths such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, all of which are practiced by our staff and students at FPS,” Holden said.
In the meeting Holden read part of the school’s diversity, inclusion, and equity statement:
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. Yet a diverse school community alone is not enough. Inclusion matters.
Likewise, Holden previously raised issues with the phrase “with liberty and justice for all,” saying “not every single person in this country has liberty and justice.”
Erin Perrine, former campaign communications director for Donald Trump, said the school board should focus on students and improving schools, rather than “ridiculous woke ideology.”
"It's just ridiculous, woke ideology. The school board in Fargo would be much better served if they focused on their students." @ErinMPerrine reacts to the Fargo, North Dakota school board cancelling the Pledge of Allegiance.@JohnFBachman
MORE: https://t.co/OOWLq4Znv3 pic.twitter.com/v2WgCsqHO9
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) August 11, 2022
Jim Johnson, a self-professed Christian and Fargo school board member, was also an original opponent of the pledge because the 1954 addition of “under God” had “altered the words of the Pledge of Allegiance” to make it “a Judeo Christian pledge rather than a pledge to a nation.”
In an opinion letter to Inforum, North Dakota resident Mike Connor, ridiculed the school board, Holden in particular, for ending the pledge at meetings.
“Shame on Seth Holden and the other six members of the Fargo School Board who voted to discontinue reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at school board meetings,” Conor wrote, calling the move “a slap in the face to the veterans.”