Nonprofit 'watchdog' group posts video of SPS board member during Pledge of Allegiance

A video circulating this week on social media showed Springfield school board member Shurita Thomas-Tate as the Pledge of Allegiance was recited during the Feb. 14 meeting.

Thomas-Tate stood, faced the American flag, and remained silent with her hands clasped as fellow board members placed their right hands over their heart and said the words.

The video was posted on the Queen City Watchdog page on Facebook with this message: "Here is what sitting SPS board of education member Dr. Shurita Thomas-Tate does while the rest of the board recites the pledge prior to meetings."

The nonprofit was started by J. Michael Hasty, who ran unsuccessfully for City Council and picked up a packet to run for school board in 2023. He did not submit the paperwork needed to get on the ballot after failing to obtain the required amount of voter signatures.

Reached by phone, Hasty said he posted the video because Thomas-Tate's actions offended him. He refused to say who shot the video at the meeting.

"This is the United States of America. I am a veteran. That flag has draped the casket of Black friends, white friends, Asian friends, gay friends and that is a spit and a stain to not say the Pledge of Allegiance," he said. "That is divisive, it is not showing unity with the rest of the board, which is actually a pretty multicultural board, and it offends me as a veteran and as a parent."

Hasty said Thomas-Tate is "not somebody that I think should be serving."

"There is this fight for the LGBTQ flag. There is this flag, there is that flag," he said. "But the American flag represents everybody who lives and breathes in this country, who is a citizen and who goes to that school."

Thomas-Tate is the sole incumbent listed on the April 4 ballot along with first-time candidates Judy Brunner, Landon McCarter and Chad Rollins. The two candidates with the most votes will be sworn in mid-April.

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The News-Leader reached out to Thomas-Tate about the video and her apparent silence during the pledge. She shared the following statement:

"I stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and I respectfully honor my family members, friends, neighbors and fellow Americans who have fought for our great nation.

"As an unapologetic Christian, I pledge my allegiance only to God. Through him all things are possible.

"From my position as a board member, I choose not only to personally exercise my legal rights but I will defend every student, teacher, staff, and fellow board members' right to exercise their freedom of speech and freedom of religion up and to the point it infringes on other peoples' freedoms.

"I proudly serve as a public servant and I am committed to serving our district. It is a shame that folks are questioning my commitment to our community and to our country. I will not be distracted. I am singularly focused on the academic achievement and well being of all students."

Thomas-Tate said in response to questions from others, she planned to post a statement on social media as well. She said she wants others to know where she stands.

In Missouri, school board elections are nonpartisan but a partisan divide over education has heightened the level of interest in local races.

Springfield's recent school board elections have generated elevated interest and fundraising.

There has also been significantly more involvement from groups that are politically active, right or left, and outside spending groups.

Last year, incumbent Charles Taylor was the target of political attack ads that ran on KY3 and conservative groups seeking to get specific candidates elected created flyers and sent texts attacking other candidates.

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In recent weeks, Thomas-Tate has been the subject of numerous posts on the Facebook page for the Queen City Watchdog group.

The posts include snippets of board meetings and declare her "unfit for the office she holds." They also repeatedly refer to Thomas-Tate as an "unelected" member of the school board.

In 2020, Thomas-Tate and board president Denise Fredrick were the only candidates running for two open spots. They were sworn in at the first meeting after the election.

According to board policy, in elections where the number of certified board candidates is the same as the number of openings on the governing body, a vote is not required. Districts are required to pay for part of the cost of having an election so skipping that step in an uncontested election is a cost savings.

The last two elections have been contested. Prior to that, it was not uncommon to have an uncontested election and no ballot was printed in those situations.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Queen City Watchdog posts video of SPS board member during pledge