The newly appointed president of the San Francisco School Board broke with tradition on Tuesday by skipping over the Pledge of Allegiance.

In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Stevon Cook said that it was a decision he made prior to the meeting, and discussed with a few members of the board.

Cook noted that he removed this ceremonial exercise at a time when the Trump administration 'has been attacking our liberties,' opting instead to recite a quote from famed poet Maya Angelou.

Free bird: Stevon Cook skipped the Pledge of Allegiance on Tuesday before a school board meeting and instead read a quote from poet Maya Angelou (above in 1992)

Famous faces: Harvey Milk (left), Toni Morrison (right) and James Baldwin among the great Americans who will have their remarks recited by Cook at the next meeting

After roll call was taken, Cook did not ask those in attendance to stand for the pledge and instead read: 'When you learn, teach. When you get, give.'

Cook explained his decision by saying: 'If you ask 10 Americans who wrote it, or when it was implemented, or why it is how we start our meetings, a lot of us would be hard pressed (to answer).'

And for some he explained, himself included, the words of the Pledge right hollow these days.

'We should stand for because those ideals are important to me,' said Cook.

'To speak them is another thing.'

Now, there is a new tradition'

'There are a lot of ways to express gratitude and appreciation for the country and its citizens,' said Cook.

'This is how I plan to do that.'

Response: Cook noted that he removed this ceremonial exercise at a time when the Trump (above) administration 'has been attacking our liberties'

Belief: 'We should stand for because those ideals are important to me. To speak them is another thing,' said Cook (above)

Angelou, who herself attended high school in the Bay area, is one of the most respected and revered poets in American history.

She rose to fame after the publication of her 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, in which she detailed her life through the age of 17.

This included the five years she went mute from the ages of 8 to 13, shortly after she was raped by her mother's boyfriend.

Her rapist was jailed for just one day, but was then murdered less then a week after his release, a crime that it has been rumored was carried out by a family member.

Angelou wrote: 'I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone.'

She went on to receive a number of accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Medal of Arts, three Grammys and was nominated for the Pulitzer and a Tony.

Angelou, who also delivered an inaugural recitation at the first swearing-in of Bill Clinton, passed away in 2014.

It will be a new quote at the next meeting, with Harvey Milk, Toni Morrison and James Baldwin among the great Americans who will have their remarks recited by Cook.

And when asked if he was like another Bay area figure who stood up for what he thought was right, Cook responded: 'I’m no Colin Kaepernick.'