American Family Association Decries Fla. School District's 'God Bless America' Censorship

The American Family Association has denounced a Florida school's decision to censor a student from saying "God Bless America" during morning announcements.

Yulee High School, part of the Nassau County School District, received criticism earlier this month after Fox News' Todd Starnes reported that it had censored a student from saying "God Bless America" following the morning announcements on the school intercom.

A spokesperson for the school had initially told Starnes that the student had been "disciplined" for deviating from their planned morning announcements script. A separate spokesperson later told Reuters that the student had not in fact been disciplined, but had rather been told to stick to their usual morning announcements and not say "God Bless America" at the end.

The school district had received a letter from the American Humanist Association demanding that they stop the practice of saying "God Bless America" during school announcements.

The American Family Association has denounced Yulee High School's censorship of the student, arguing on its website that the school agreed with an "anti-Christian bigotry group and threatened the student if he said it again."

"It's ironic that many politicians frequently end their speeches with 'God Bless America,'" the American Family Association writes, "adding but the school feels the same freedom of speech doesn't apply to students."

The AFA then encourages its supporters to contact the school district and encourage the "superintendent to provide 'remedial training' to all staff, advising them of the First Amendment rights and freedoms of students under the Constitution."

The Florida school district has said that it will continue to prevent students from deviating from their planned morning announcements script in any way.