An elementary school principal in Pennsylvania is being forced to stop saying "God Bless America" in school halls after receiving a complaint accusing him of violating the law.
The Springfield School District confirmed on Friday that a parent had lodged a complaint against Peter Brigg, the principal of Sabold Elementary School, who would routinely say the phrase after citing the Pledge of Allegiance over the loudspeaker, Fox News reported.
In response, an attorney from the Freedom From Religion Foundation issued a letter to the district noting that by publicly saying "God Bless America," Brigg was in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution's prohibition of government sponsoring religious messages.
The district released a statement Friday explaining that it had put an end to the practice and that Brigg would no longer say "God Bless America" after reciting the pledge,
"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 statement read.
To be clear, the District has not altered the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and has not prohibited students from deciding on their own, as their own form of self-expression, whether or not to state the words, "God Bless America" (or any other appropriate form of self-expression) upon completing the Pledge of Allegiance."
The district urged parents to understand that it was not making the decisions, but simply following the law.
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