Gulf Coast Charter Academy South in Naples, Fla., cut a religious song from its curriculum pursuant to a complaint made by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
The song was reportedly about a child getting lost in the woods and being saved by an angel after kneeling and praying. The chorus was something to the effect of, “I believe in angels sent down from heaven.”
“It is wholly inappropriate for a public school teacher to teach songs of worship in a public school setting,” wrote Staff Attorney Andrew Seidel in a letter sent Nov. 24, 2014. “The music described above has a devotional message and thus would be appropriate in a church setting, but not in a public school. There are a multitude of secular songs that would be appropriate in this setting.”
In a response dated Dec. 1, an attorney for the school informed Seidel that the song was removed from all classes, and that the school was “reviewing the balance of the curriculum to ensure further compliance.
