Fargo School Board Removes The Pledge Of Allegiance
Fargo school board voted to remove the recital of the pledge of allegiance, in a measure that's drawing national attention.
One of North Dakota’s largest school districts has garnered national attention after nixing the pledge of allegiance. The measure is drawing staunch criticism from conservatives that fear that the fallout may lead to more restrictions from those that wish to keep American values as a part of school. On the other hand, liberals are applauding the decision, saying the move aligns with diversity that is needed in school culture.
According to reports from CBS News, the Fargo School Board voted in favor of removing the recital of the pledge of allegiance from the beginning of board meetings in a 7-2 vote on August 10th. The major reason for nixing this longstanding requirement was based on religion, and the phrase within stating “under god.” As the controversial decision was met with national contention and approval, it has even prompted a state lawmaker to once again push for school choice vouchers.
Concerned parents went on Fox and Friends live to share their objection to the board’s decision. While this measure does not remove the pledge of allegiance from Fargo schools, some parents lamented that this was only the beginning, as they fear that it will soon be prohibited in schools as well. Multiple members of the state’s Republican party also berated the board’s decision, calling it “laughable” and an “affront to our American values.”
Scott Meyer, a North Dakota Sen. was so upset with the decision to remove the pledge of allegiance recital that he vowed to get straight to work and draft a bill for a school voucher program. School vouchers are growing in popular areas where school choice, or the ability for families to easily choose what type of education their children receive, is being advocated for. Meyer asserted that this decision did not align with the values of North Dakota families as he pledged to make it easier for upset parents to leave the public school system.
Others, however, praised the board’s decision to nix the pledge of allegiance. Outlets like OnlySky hailed the move, saying that the addition of the phrase “under god” makes the measure unnecessary in a diverse nation given its Christianity-rooted base. Likewise, school choice opponents took this opportunity to ridicule the newfound push for school vouchers. They ridiculed Meyers’ move to push school vouchers as a move against the purpose of public taxpayer dollars. Head of North Dakota’s largest teacher union, Nick Archuleta, noted that “money raised from the public tax collections should be used for public purposes, including public education.”
The district has noted that since gaining national attention for the decision not to recite the pledge of allegiance, there has been a plethora of misconceptions about the move. InForum reported that the district has received a major uptick in calls from concerned individuals all across the nation. Allegedly, many of the callers are criticizing the move, and misunderstanding the ruling as they thought it removed the pledge of allegiance from schools as well.
Many conservatives fear that the pledge of allegiance is being banned in classrooms all across the U.S. However, the majority of public schools still recite the patriotic verse. Much of the misconstrued notions come from the fact that more schools are allowing children to sit it out because of religious freedom. While the Fargo school board is now leading a charged move to allow upset families to have more leverage in leaving public schools behind, the fact remains that Fargo schools still are allowed to recite the American pledge.
