A high school principal in Nebraska called off the Pledge of Allegiance last week, citing the government shutdown as his reason for doing so.
Pat Jones, the principal of Alliance High School in the town of Alliance, pulled the stunt to provoke a conversation about the situation in Washington, Superintendent Troy Unzicker told local ABC affiliate KOTA-TV.
Some students "may not even know [the shutdown] existed, so it has opened up some great communication lines," Unzicker said.
Jones announced to students on Oct. 7 that the Pledge wouldn't be happening for a day because of Congress's failure to reach a deal to get the government functioning. The backlash from the community was swift.
Upset parents were soon calling and emailing members of the school board to express their disapproval, Unzicker told The Associated Press. Some students were also upset, and one reportedly got up and said the pledge anyway.
Jones appears to have gone rogue with the bizarre announcement. Unzicker told the AP that school administrators had not signed off on canceling the Pledge.
It's unclear if Jones has been disciplined for his decision, though Unzicker told The Blaze he was "considering" disciplinary action against the principal. Unzicker emphasized, however, that the Pledge ban will not happen again.
Neither Jones nor Unzicker provided comments to The Huffington Post.
Related
Before You Go
