New Jersey School Skips Legal Battle, Will No Longer Recite "God Bless America"
HADDON HEIGHTS, N.J. (CBS) -- Students at a Haddon Heights Elementary School are getting a real-life lesson in Constitutional law.
Staffers at Glenview Elementary School say it became a daily ritual for students to say "God bless America" after the morning recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.
READ: Bill Cosby Arraigned On Sex Assault Charge
Principal Sam Sassano says it was not something the school promoted or required; it just endured as a way to honor first responders after 9/11.
"It never, to us, invoked any type of religious intentions. It was basically a patriotic gesture that the boys and girls were doing," Sassano told KYW Newsradio.
READ: Jason Kelce Calls Out 'Pampered' Eagles
But Sassano says the ACLU sent the school board attorney a letter challenging the recital of "God Bless America" as unconstitutional.
Rather than engage in an expensive legal battle, Sassano sent an email to parents over the weekend saying the school will look for alternate ways to honor those in the September 11th tragedy.
