School retracts telling students they cant sing worship songs at talent show

A Michigan elementary school has backed down after initially telling two Christian students they couldn’t perform worship songs at an upcoming school talent show.“Upon review, it was determined that school staff were unfamiliar with the legal guidelines concerning religious expression in a public school setting,” Allegan Public Schools Superintendent James Antoine wrote in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.“Religious songs have been, and will continue to be, allowed at school events like talent shows.”According to legal group First Liberty Institute, two students at West Ward Elementary School, who are siblings, were told by school officials on Tuesday that they could not perform their chosen songs, “That’s Who I Praise” by Brandon Lake, and “Up and Up” by Colton Dixon, because the lyrics were too religious.West Ward teacher Penny Bishop reportedly told the students’ mother that one song was too “Christian-based” and would violate the separation of church and state.

The school principal, Molly Carl, also said the song could cause problems because “there’s some very clear language about worshiping God” and she raised issue with Lake’s lyrics that mentioned no longer being “slaves,” in reference to the Israelites leaving Egypt in the biblical account from the book of Exodus.Carl also reportedly confronted one of the students about her song choice after a meeting with her parent, telling the student that “not everyone believes in God.”According to First Liberty, Carl approved the songs ahead of auditions on Thursday but told one student that his song would need to be “adjustable” to a more “acceptable option” if he chose to perform it at the May 23 talent show.The legal group sent a letter to the elementary school on Wednesday warning them they could be violating the students’ First Amendment rights. First Liberty asked the school to assure them by 3:00 p.m.on Friday that both students, who are brother...