A Pennsylvania school district moved to ban a school principal from saying “God bless America” after the Pledge of Allegiance when an anti-Christian group threatened to sue.

Principal Peter Briggs of Sabold Elementary School in Springfield, Pennsylvania, was told to stop the practice after the anti-Christian group, Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), threatened to sue supposedly on behalf of a single parent of one child in the school, Fox News reported.

The FFRF exclaimed that the principal’s practice violates the U.S. Constitution which bars government from sponsoring religion.

The anti-religion group insisted that “young elementary school children don’t need to be coerced into affirming God’s name every morning.”

The district moved to prevent Briggs from saying the phrase to avoid a lawsuit. Still, the district did note that it would not prohibit the kids from saying the words if they wished.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.