New Brunswick Education Minister Kelly Lamrock says departmental policy clearly calls for the playing of the national anthem in schools, but he is open to changes that would erase any confusion.

Lamrock's comments come after Zoë Watson, the superintendent of School District 6, reinstated the daily anthem following the Belleisle Elementary School principal's decision to relegate O Canada to monthly ceremonies. Lamrock said he clearly communicated to all districts last Friday that the anthem should be played.

"If people need the clarity of a better policy than previous governments have left, I'd certainly be willing to do that," he said.

'Our job isn't finished yet. We have to have it written in stone so this decision cannot be overturned.'— Susan Boyd, parent

Erik Millett, the school's principal, said he made the decision to cancel the playing of the anthem about a year ago with the blessing of parents who didn't want their children taking part, for reasons he said he couldn't discuss because of privacy issues.

He said the change was part of a package of reforms designed to make the school feel more inclusive and allow the school to run more smoothly.

The anthem fight rose to national prominence as New Brunswick Conservative MPs blasted Millett's decision in the House of Commons as "political correctness run wild."

The province's education minister said he disagreed with the argument that the anthem isn't inclusive and should be avoided in public schools, similar to a daily prayer.

"In every way I do not see an equivalency between the anthem and say a prayer issue, a prayer is denominational," Lamrock said. "But a country belongs to everybody. … I think it is also possible for somebody to say, 'Look, I choose to absent myself.'"

Susan Boyd, the mother of a student at Belleisle Elementary School who led the fight against Millett's O Canada ban, said she was pleased to hear that the anthem will return to the classroom. Nevertheless, Boyd said she would continue her lobbying on the issue.

"Our job isn't finished yet. We have to have it written in stone so this decision cannot be overturned," Boyd said.

"Otherwise, it could be overturned and we could be facing the same dilemma maybe a few months from now."

The district superintendent said she directed the principal to bring back O Canada after receiving more than 100 emails a day criticizing the principal's decision to stop playing the anthem.

She told the principal the national anthem must be reinstated today or the school district would take action.

"I certainly provided the principal an opportunity to voluntarily reverse the decision or to come to some type of compromise but in the end the decision was mine," Watson said.

Watson said as a general rule, district policy allows for schools to decide whether to start the day by singing the anthem.