CLIFTON PARK — A national atheist organization is threatening to sue the Shenendehowa school district over two songs taught to elementary school children that mention God in the lyrics.

The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which has 18,500 members, has sent a series of threatening letters to Shenendehowa warning that legal action is imminent if the district does not exclude the songs from its music class. The district responded by claiming that none of the songs were used as a prayer and that no laws were broken.

The songs were "Thank You For the World So Sweet," which includes the line "Thank you God for everything" and "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep," which includes the line, "I pray the Lord my soul to keep."

"We can't drop it because the children are too young and the case is so clear," said Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the foundation. "Why would (the district) want to indoctrinate young children, break the law and waste taxpayer money?"

Gaylor said a parent anonymously reached out to the group to complain after a child came home from school singing verses from the songs.

In a response to the foundation's letters, Kathryn McCary, the school district's attorney, argued that the songs were part of classroom curriculum and used in a secular manner. District spokeswoman Kelly Deficiani said Friday that the district is always in compliance with the law and added that the songs used in elementary school music classes change every year. She said she was not sure if the songs in question were part of this year's curriculum or not.

Shenendehowa is just the latest district to face off against a national advocacy group looking for a way to press its agenda.

In 2010, the Schenectady school district had to pay $22,500 to settle a case, in addition to the legal fees it incurred during the case, after it improperly punished a student for wearing a rosary.

The school had argued that the rosary — with purple beads and a large white crucifix — Raymond Hosier wore around his neck was prohibited under its dress code policy because it could be interpreted as a gang symbol.

Hosier, whose family is Christian, argued that he wore the rosary to help him stay connected to his deceased older brother and uncle, who were role models. A Christian advocacy group, the American Center for Law and Justice, sent a lawyer from Michigan to fight the school's ruling. A federal judge eventually sided against the district.

In 2008, the Guilderland school district came under fire from the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a national Irish Catholic group, after a teacher was punished.

Social studies teacher Matt Nelligan argued that he was transferred from the high school to the middle school because of his conservative political beliefs and Hibernians helped raise money for a legal defense fund. Nelligan, who was a Hibernian, ultimately left the district and did not file a lawsuit.

Such cases happen sporadically and end up putting more stress on a district at a time when budget cuts, teacher evaluations and national standards have consumed so much time and energy, said Robert Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents. "On top of that, you have to worry someone is going to sue you," he said.

Lowry said a number of districts had gone out of the way to phase out any music not considered secular. He said he attended a holiday school concert last year where all of the songs sounded like funeral dirges because the school did not want to include songs that celebrated Christmas or mentioned God.

Gaylor, of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, said she is optimistic that the district will phase out the songs because previous case law specifically identifies "Thank You for The World So Sweet" as being a prayer. She said music does not change the content of the song and that they are still prayers. She said the group will wait for the district's response before it initiates any legal action.

swaldman@timesunion.com • 518-454-5080 • @518Schools