Fargo School Board to consider reinstating Pledge of Allegiance at board meetings

(Fargo, ND) -- One week after nixing the Pledge of Allegiance from their bi-weekly agenda, the Fargo School Board may be having second thoughts.

School Board President Dr. Tracie Newman is calling on a special meeting to take place this Thursday, August 18th at the district offices to discuss possibly reinstating the pledge back into the board's meetings.

"Since the August 9th Board meeting, Board members and the District have received significant negative local and national feedback on the decision to not say the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the Board’s regular meetings, appropriating time and resources from other District responsibilities," said Newman in a written memo on the upcoming meeting. "I am calling a special meeting of the Board of Education to discuss the impact our previous decision has had on the District, its operations, and its image, and to offer a motion to reinstate the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of our regular meetings directly following the call to order."

The news comes as local, regional and nationally backlash hit the board after it removed the pledge from the agenda during a meeting on August 9th, citing in a 7-2 vote that it did not follow district policy on 'inclusion', as well as member Seth Holden citing, in his words, "factual inaccuracies" in the text of the pledge involving the term 'liberty and justice for all.'

Monday, Governor Burgum notified lawmakers and residents of the state of North Dakota he intended to craft legislation to call on all public and government boards in the state to require the pledge in their proceedings in the wake of the decision from the Fargo School Board.

The full memo from Dr. Newman on the special meeting can be viewed by clicking here.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday in the District offices at 700 7th street south.