Principal has to stop saying 'God Bless America' after the Pledge of Allegiance following parent's complaint
Every morning, students at a Pennsylvania elementary school and their principal would recite the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the leader yelling out a resounding “God Bless America!”— but not anymore.
A parent unhappy with the daily decree — a tradition at Sabold Elementary School during which the principal said “God Bless America” over the school-wide intercom after leading the pledge — reached out to watchdog group Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), a nonprofit organization with a “mission to protect that constitutional principle of separation between state and church.”
After reviewing the complaint, Chris Line, an attorney with FFRF, sent a letter on March 25 to the Springfield School District Superintendent Anthony Barber, complaining that the declaration violated the U.S. Constitution.
Line tells Yahoo Lifestyle that “this is government speech and the government cannot promote and endorse a religion.” He adds, “It can’t favor one religion over another. In this case, by repeating and reciting this religious message every day, they are instilling a message that there is a God. It’s essentially saying a prayer.”
“‘God Bless America’ is a prayer. The song that the phrase originates from begins, ‘As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer,’” Line explains. “The statement compels a belief in God which excludes almost 40 percent of Americans born after 1987 who are not religious.”
The letter read, “The repeated recitation of a religious message in the school setting violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits public schools from advancing, supporting or promoting religion.”
The letter also said that the school district “must consider how the messages it sends are perceived by its youngest, most impressionable students, who are a captive audience.”
After legal research and recommendations, the school district could not deny the claims and swiftly ceased the practice.
“In accordance with District protocol, this complaint was forwarded to our District Solicitor's Office. Based upon the Solicitor's legal research and recommendation, we ceased this practice,” the Springfield School District wrote in a statement released May 3, adding that the litigation costs that would come with standing by the statement also played a role in their decision.
The recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance will not be altered and students can continue to state the phrase “God Bless America” if they choose.
“We understand that this is an important topic for many of our constituents; however, please understand that the District does not make the law. We follow it,” the statement concluded.
The final decision continues to stir debate amongst Springfield residents about whether “God Bless America” is religious or simply patriotic.
“Every President has said ‘God Bless America.’ It’s the right thing to do,” Springfield School District parent Suzanne Hoffman told CBS Philly. “I try to instill in my kids everyday the sense of unity and community and patriotism, and that’s what I will continue to do with my kids and they will continue to say ‘God Bless America.’”
Meanwhile, other parents agreed with the original unidentified parent’s complaint, and supported the district’s decision to stop saying the decree.
“I’m glad that our principal made the choice that he made by not saying it over the loud speaker. I think children are very impressionable,” parent Larisa Schreiber said. “There are people that don’t believe in God.”
Still, others complained that the decision was less of a reinforcement of first amendment rights, and more an issue of being politically correct. “I mean what’s the next step? Are they going to come here when a student sneezes and the principal says ‘God Bless You?'” Michael Puppio, a member of the Springfield Republican party, told the local news station.
Line, meanwhile, believes that dropping “God Bless America” provides more religious freedom to students.
“Students still have their rights to practice their religion, but now they will have more freedom to do so without the school district imposing their particular religious message on to them every day,” he says. “Separating church and state is a win for everyone, whether you're a Christian, minority religion or non-religious atheist.”
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
• Formerly anti-vaxx mom posts about her daughter's shots, prompting Facebook firestorm
• Makeup for men' brand War Paint accused of promoting 'toxic masculinity'
• Man with a week to live hopes to rehome his 11 rescue dogs
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
