North Dakota school system reinstates Pledge of Allegiance

Seven of the nine members of the Fargo Public Schools Board of Education voted last week to stop reciting the pledge at its monthly meetings. But after backlash, eight of the nine voted Thursday to reinstate it. City of Fargo spokesman Gregg Schildberger said police are investigating threats against at least three board members. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, promoted new legislation earlier this week that would require public schools and governing bodies to administer the pledge without mandating that people recite it.

Why did they stop reciting it, and what changed their minds? The board members at first agreed with one of the members, Seth Holden, who said the phrase “under God” does not align with the district’s diversity and inclusion code. The board argued that parents have the freedom to homeschool their kids or send them to private schools, and public funds should not fund religion. But complaints from conservative lawmakers, and an angry backlash from citizens around the country, played a role in getting them to reconsider, the Associated Press reported. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Cal Thomas’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about a parent’s need to break the government’s hold on schooling.