Update: Mass. 4th Graders Will Be Allowed to Sing 'God Bless the USA' During Assembly

Fourth graders at a Massachusetts elementary school will be allowed to sing "God Bless the USA" during an assembly after administrators had planned to remove the word "God" from the song.

As The Blaze previously reported, Stall Brook Elementary pulled the song from the program after parents reacted with outrage when students were taught to sing "We love the USA" instead of "God bless the USA" during the chorus of the Lee Greenwood song.

Bellingham Public Schools Superintendent Edward Fleury said in a statement Thursday "God Bless the USA" will be included in the assembly's song line-up and that students will be allowed to sing or not sing the words.

"No other words will be substituted," Fleury said.

He admitted that "[p]olitical correctness is certainly a consideration in the public sector" but said the district "believe[s] the use of the word God is acceptable in patriotic songs."

"The district has no intent to censor any patriotic songs," Fleury said. "We are certainly sorry if this approach was perhaps considered as disrespectful. That was never the intent."

Greenwood had told Fox News he objected to the school changing his lyrics, saying "the most important word in the whole piece of music is the word God."

Watch an original news report on the controversy below: