A school board decided this week to stop reciting the Pledge of Allegiance after one member told the group, “One nation under God,” is non-inclusionary and violates their policy.
In essence, the Pledge, honoring the nation built under God, is now a dishonest statement according to Fargo, North Dakota School Board Vice President Seth Holden.
Holden led the charge to cut the Pledge of Allegiance from meetings, saying “the statement that we are one nation under God is the Judeo-Christian God that the Pledge clearly states by capitalizing the word God is simply an untrue statement.”
When the meeting commenced on Tuesday, Holden is seen kneeling down during the Pledge while all other school board members stood.
On its website, the Fargo Board of Education’s primary duty is “governance, with student achievement as the central focus.” They also vote on fiscal oversight, setting District plans and goals, program development on behalf of students and schools.
Now, parents are wondering how the board voting to not recite the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings has anything to do with their responsibility to the students and parents in the community.
In an interview with Fox & Friends, parent Jake Schmitz says, “That perpetuates critical race theory, which is against the law in North Dakota.”
During the Fox & Friends interview, North Dakotan, Allie Ollenburger says, “as a parent in the district, it’s important our history, [and] our civics, that our country was founded on is continued to be taught in our classrooms…it concerns me he is going to come after our classrooms next.”
Holder shared his point of view that the Pledge is non-inclusionary because it leaves out Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.
The 7-2 vote didn’t come without pushback from other school board members. Robin Nelson spoke out against Holden arguing that the discussion was a complete distraction and their job is to focus on kids’ education.
“I would respectfully ask that you just don’t participate, but that you don’t deny me that right,” Nelson says.
Holden told the other school board members that you can’t be honest and recite a Pledge that has untrue statements—but parents in the district aren’t buying it.
Schmitz claims that he isn’t surprised by Holden’s position—given that “he is an atheist.” Now parents in the district are worried how this agenda will continue to inch its ways into the schools themselves.
Ollenburger says, “As a military veteran, listening to the disrespectful, disgusting monologue was heartbreaking.” {eoa}
Shelby Lindsay is an assistant editor for Charisma Media.
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