The Fargo (N.D.) school board has reversed its decision and has reinstated the Pledge of Allegiance at its monthly meetings.
The move comes after the board received numerous complaints when it decided to stop reciting the Pledge at meetings, reports The Associated Press.
Board member Nyamal Dei, a refugee who fled war-torn Sudan, cast the lone vote against reinstating the pledge.
Before the vote, she played a profanity-laced voicemail from a man who called her a slave, racist and Nazi.
“We won’t be rewarding our children or students in our district for acting in this way,” Dei said. “But know that this moment will pass. Let’s get back to the work that we are elected to do and that is to find a solution to our teacher shortages, mental health issues and academic achievement for our students.”
In apparent reaction to Fargo's removal of the Pledge from board meetings, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum called for legislation that would require public schools and other governing bodies to administer the Pledge without mandating that people recite it.
