Phaedra Trethan

@CP_Phaedra

HADDON HEIGHTS - An elementary school's tradition that began after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has been challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union, the principal said in a letter addressed to parents.

Students at Glenview Elementary School have said the phrase "God bless America" after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance each morning outside before classes begin. But a letter from the ACLU sent last month to the school's attorneys said that "invoking God’s blessing as a daily ritual is unconstitutional and in violation of the Establishment Clause, since it allegedly promotes religious over non-religious beliefs, especially with young, impressionable children," according to a letter from Principal Sam Sassano to parents.

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Sassano said Monday that the tradition, one the school has never formally taught to nor required of students, began with two kindergarten teachers who wished to show support to first responders and victims in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"It just became sort of a habit," said Sassano, who has been principal at the Sycamore Street school since 2005. "Now it's part of the culture here."

The teachers who began the tradition are no longer with the school, he added.

In a letter to the school's attorney dated Dec. 30, the ACLU-NJ's legal director, Ed Barocas, called the practice "unconstitutional."

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:Facebook comments on ACLU challenge

"The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the government not only from favoring one religion over another, but also from promoting religion over non-religion," stated the letter to Joseph Betley of the Mount Laurel firm Capehart Scatchard. "The greatest care must be taken to avoid the appearance of governmental endorsement in schools, especially elementary schools, given the impressionable age of the children under the school's care and authority."

Citing legal precedent, the ACLU noted the U.S. Supreme Court previously rejected the practice of invoking God's blessing in daily school rituals. In a 1962 ruling, the letter noted, "the Court halted a school district's practice of students' acknowledging God and asking God's 'blessings on us, our parents, our teachers and our Country' immediately following recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance."

The tradition is unique to Glenview, Sassano said, and no other Haddon Heights schools end their pledge the same way.

In his letter to parents, Sassano said that the school was mindful of the line separating church and state, but that "it has been our view that the practice is fundamentally patriotic in nature and does not invoke or advance any religious message, despite the specific reference to God’s blessing."

However, his letter acknowledged, "Whether the practice of having the students say 'God bless America' at the end of the Pledge of Allegiance is more akin to religious prayer or simply a manifestation of patriotism has no clear cut legal answer."

Glenview Elementary will not prevent its approximately 265 students from saying the phrase, Sassano said. Citing a potentially costly legal battle in his letter to parents, Sassano said the school will "explore alternative methods of honoring the victims and first responders of the 9/11 tragedy."

Parents, he said, have called to express disappointment but have largely been understanding. Many parents, he added, said they would tell their children to continue saying "God bless America" after reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and the school would not prevent them from doing so.

Kerri Simon, putting her two children into her car after school let out Monday, said she hadn't seen the letter from Sassano until her husband mentioned it to her. Her children, she said, would probably continue to say "God bless America."

"We're Christians," she said as her daughter, Hudson, 6, and son, Jackson, 9, peered at a reporter from the back seat. "My brother is in the military, and I think it's a really nice way to honor our country."

Giovanna Giumarello, walking with her son Gabriel, a fifth-grader at the school, said she was "shocked" when she saw Sassano's letter, though she did not blame him for the controversy.

"I was just talking to someone about it, and we said what a great tribute it is, to our country and to free speech and religion," she said. "It's really a shame that one person had to have a problem with it, and now it has to change."

She noted references to God and religion sprinkled throughout American life: "It's on our money: 'In God We Trust.' Isn't the person who complained out there spending that money?"

"I understand (Sassano's) hands are tied," said Kim Sergeant as she and her son, Connor, left the school. "But it's still upsetting. We always prided ourselves on being small school, and doing this in a small setting, having this little tradition."

Hector Diaz, whose stepson is a student at the school, said "too many rules and regulations" were changing the nation for the worse.

"God bless America, God bless Africa, God bless South America and Europe ... that's what we should be saying," he said. But, he shrugged, "It is what it is."

Debi Krezel, who posted Sassano's letter to her Facebook page after receiving it, said she contacted Gov. Chris Christie's office, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the state Department of Education to register her dismay and ask for their support.

"I really feel like this is taking our children's rights away," said Krezel, who has a sixth-grader at the school. "And it's sad. I believe everyone has a right to feel the way they feel, but don't take away my beliefs and rights."

Reached for comment late Monday, Barocas said the invocation was a question of the context in which it's done.

"This was not students' speech, this was a daily recitation at an official school assembly led by the school officials," he said, adding the ACLU has defended people on both sides of the religious speech issue.

Parents, he said, are the only ones who have a right to direct a child's religious upbringing — not the government or public schools.

Phaedra Trethan: (856) 486-2417; ptrethan@gannettnj.com