Supervisors in Dane County, Wisconsin, are attempting to eliminate the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer from the county board’s meeting agenda, according to the proposed updates.
Supervisor Heidi Wegletiner proposed removing the pledge and word “prayer” from the board agenda as part of the committee’s biannual redraft of its agenda, according to Fox 6. The board’s executive committee reconsiders the proposal on March 24, though the newly-elected supervisors will make the final decision after the county’s April 5 election.
Wegletiner dubbed the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer inappropriate and “divisive,” according to a quote obtained by Fox 6.
“It just doesn’t feel like it’s appropriate for us to be doing, when in a pluralistic society we want to be inclusive and representative,” Wegleitner said. “At the end of the day, I think it’s divisive.”
The proposed change garnered support from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which is located in Dane County.
Dan County supervisor Heidi Wegleitner has proposed removing the pledge as well as the word “prayer” from the board rules and FFRF agrees. https://t.co/NXcnmBRaY5 via @madisondotcom
— FFRF (@FFRF) March 22, 2022
Supervisor Tim Rockwell noted that the county is 45% religious, therefore catering to that population is inclusive and diverse, Fox 6 reported. He reportedly said that the county’s religious diversity should be “celebrated and not squashed.”
Other changes that may potentially be enacted include one from Supervisor Larry Palm attempting to make laws and rules “gender neutral.” (RELATED: Teacher Sues After Being Suspended, Refusing To Comply With Preferred Pronoun Guidance)
“I would suggest a wholesale replacement of ‘he/she’ to ‘them’ or ‘they’ based upon the language. I believe our laws and rules should be gender neutral,” Palm’s proposal reads.
Wegletiner did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.