School drops God from Pledge of Allegiance; 'It seems like Christianity is getting taken out of everything,' says parent

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A South Carolina school is apologising this week after distributing a copy of the Pledge of Allegiance to students with the words "under God" removed.

Jessica Andrews' daughter is a fourth-grader at the school in question – Chukker Creek Elementary. She reported being utterly shocked by the omission.

"It was like an 'Oh my gosh' type of feeling," Andrews told Fox News.

"It's outrageous, to be honest.

"It seems like the government is doing everything they can to take God out of everything."

Controversy over the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance has also been reported in Wisconsin, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other states.

"We are so quick to change our religion to accommodate everyone else," Andrews said. "It seems like Christianity is getting taken out of everything."

Chukker Creek Principal Amy Gregory said that the misprinted Pledge was not intentional, however.

"This was a single mistake by a very embarrassed and apologetic teacher," Gregory told Fox News.

"In order to assist her new students with our morning announcements, a teacher made copies of the pledge and national anthem for her class.

"She cut and pasted these from a website and in doing so, this line was omitted.

"The teacher failed to proof the paper."

The teacher, who has not been identified, issued the correct version of the Pledge of Allegiance to her students, along with a message to their parents.

"I do apologise," she wrote. "Please forgive me. I respect our country and what it was founded on."

Andrews, who has five other children, said she turned the incident into a learning experience for her daughter.

"I told her the government and a lot of people don't like God," Andrews said. "Some people are offended by Christianity. I try to be as real with my kids about their faith as I can be. I don't want to sugarcoat everything."