A Pennsylvania elementary school will no longer say "God Bless America" after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance following a legal complaint brought by a parent.
The principal of Sabold Elementary School "would say the phrase after reciting the pledge over the loudspeaker," Fox News reports. The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a letter to the school district arguing publicly speaking the phrase violated the Constitution's prohibition of government sponsoring religious messages.
"‘God Bless America’ is a prayer.… A Prayer hosted by a publicly supported school does not pass constitutional muster," the Foundation claimed.
The district acknowledged receiving a complaint regarding the use of the phrase and said it would no longer be recited after the Pledge of Allegiance.
"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. Continuation of any practices that may be unlawful would only expose the District to litigation, which the local taxpayers would have to financially support," the district said in a statement.
The district added that students would still be able to say "God Bless America" after saying the Pledge of Allegiance if they wanted to do so.
The district also said it determined continuing the practice had the potential to lead to litigation which "the local taxpayers would have to financially support."
"We understand that this is an important topic for many of our constituents; however, please understand that the District does not make the law," the statement read. "We follow it."
This is not the first time a school has been targeted over the phrase "God Bless America."
In 2016, the ACLU threatened a New Jersey school with a lawsuit because students would recite the expression after the Pledge of Allegiance, a practice which had begun in 2001 to honor 9/11 first responders. The school agreed to end the practice.