(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) A North Dakota school board has opted to stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance before their meetings because the Pledge mentions God, which according to woke doctrine is against the spirit of DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Fargo, North Dakota, school board voted 7 – 2 to discontinue the ritual after board members made the claim that discussion of “God” is non-inclusionary, reported the Daily Wire.
“Given that the word ‘God’ in the text of the Pledge of Allegiance is capitalized,” board member Seth Holden said. “The text is clearly referring to the Judeo-Christian god and therefore, it does not include any other face [sic] such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, all of which are practiced by our staff and students at FPS.”
Holden also claimed that the Pledge violated the DEI principles. Schoolboard President Tracie Newman recommended the board find another pledge to recite, hoping to maintain unity within the group.
“I’m just not sure that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is a useful way to begin every one of our board meetings,” Newman explained. “I would much prefer that we open our meetings with a shared statement of purpose that would bring us all together to do the work of the board.”
The school board’s website states, “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.”
One member of the community, David Paulson, spoke in favor of keeping the pledge.
“We are misinterpreting the Pledge of Allegiance,” Paulson explained. “The pledge isn’t a show of our patriotism, it’s an affirmation of our commitment and our loyalty to the greater cause, and that greater cause is freedom.”
Social media users reacted in similar fashion:
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
