'God Bless America' At N.J. School Unconstitutional: ACLU

Haddon Heights, NJ -- A South Jersey elementary school is ending a 15-year daily tradition of having students recite the phrase “God Bless America” because the practice has been billed unconstitutional by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey.

Glenview Elementary School in Haddon Heights announced this week that the phrase will be removed from the morning recital of the Pledge of Allegiance, but students won’t be prevented from saying it on their own.

Parents, many outraged by the decision, countered by convening at the playground and saying the phrase loudly, one resident told Patch.

The problem with the school’s ”God Bless America” tradition, according to ACLU Legal Director Ed Barocas, is “it relays a sense to these elementary school students that believing in God and asking for God’s blessing is the norm, part of being an American, and proper to do.”

But Principal Sam Sassano said he believes the school’s tradition of reciting the phrase is patriotic and not religious, he told the Courier Post.

Some parents of Glenview Elementary School students agree, calling the situation “sad.”

“The kids and parents love this tradition,” parent Kimberly Sargent told Patch.

Sargent said the day after the parents learned of the school’s decision to end the tradition via a letter, several of them lined up around the playground and said ”God Bless America” loudly when the pledge concluded — and so did “most if not all” of the students.

“We always prided ourselves as small town America and love the traditions in our town and school. If they take this away, what’s next,” Sargent said.

Sassano said the practice is a tradition that was started by teachers following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Up until this week, it had become part of a school-wide practice at the beginning of each day.

The principal’s assessment of the tradition being more patriotic than religious seems to fall in line with a ruling from a Monmouth County judge from last year.

Judge David Bauman ruled in February 2015 that the reference to God in the pledge itself was more a declaration of patriotism than religious beliefs, according to NJ.com.

The situation at Glenview Elementary deals with something said separate from the pledge, the ACLU maintains.

In a Dec. 30 letter to the district, Barocas calls the practice “unconstitutional,” saying the district is promoting religious practices over non-religious practices.

“The fact that the phrase has some patriotic overtones does not sufficiently negate its fundamentally religious nature,” Barocas said in the letter.

Barocas points out in his letter that Glenview is the only school in the district that engages in this tradition, and says it is “unclear why this particular school’s officials believe the Pledge of Allegiance itself was not sufficient to instill a sense of patriotism, nor why it was necessary to use this particular phrase rather than others that do not invoke religion.”

“The recitation at Glenview occurs as part of the daily school-wide assembly, prompting student participation from children as young as kindergarten,” Barocas said in the letter.

“The practice thereby makes it harder for non-religious parents to raise their children as they see fit, and makes it harder for non-religious or questioning students to be full and complete participants in their school. It places them in the impermissible position of either conforming to the official school practice or missing out on benefits and being made to feel like a disfavored outsider because of the student’s (or his or her parents’) religious beliefs or lack thereof. That is not only an ‘improper choice to force upon them,’ but an unconstitutional one.”

In his letter, Barocas cited legal precedent, including a 1993 case in which the Black Horse Pike Regional School District stopped the practice of prayer at its high school graduations.

During that case, the district said it would allow prayer at graduation as long as a majority of students were in favor of it. However, when one student spoke out and following a decision by an appeals court, the practice ceased.

The decision to end Glenview’s tradition has sparked some backlash on Facebook.

“How about no ACLU in Haddon Heights school. Just because it’s there, no one is forcing anyone else to say it. Just say it if you believe it.,” one reader wrote.

“How is saying ‘One nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all’ different from saying ‘God bless America?’ if the ACLU is upset about saying ‘God bless America’ then they need to change the Pledge of Allegiance,” wrote another.

One person provided an alternative idea.

“A moment of silence is a nice alternative,” she wrote. “Those who wish to thank God can do so but not everyone believes in God. It’s not about being PC. It’s about respecting others & I think that’s a good lesson to teach children.”

With reporting by Kara Seymour