DODGEVILLE, Wis. -- The Dodgeville School District is being inundated with criticism after a conservative coalition accused Ridgeway Elementary School of changing lyrics to a traditional Christmas song for its holiday program.

School district officials said that it didn't change anything, WISC-TV reported.

The Liberty Counsel is a national conservative group with members all across the country. The group received information from a Ridgeway parent claiming that the teachers at the school changed the lyrics to "Silent Night."

However, it turns out the song is part of a published play that the school is performing. The song "Cold In The Night" follows the melody of "Silent Night."

Shortly after the group published a news release, Dodgeville's school officials said that they received more than 2,000 negative e-mails. The e-mails are from all over the country, but none of the e-mails are from parents in the district, WISC-TV reported.

The president of Liberty Counsel released a statement on Friday afternoon that said, "The school is using the song, requiring children to learn the song, and thus has adopted the changed words of the song. The school cannot escape responsibility by saying it is merely using a smutty, indeed, an insulting, revision of 'Silent Night' that someone else may have written. The school is responsible for its irresponsible actions. A federal lawsuit will be filed if school officials do not come to their senses quickly."

Diane Messer, the school district administrator, said that this is only a misunderstanding and she plans to send letters to all parents explaining the situation, WISC-TV reported.

"Parents in our district, let me say this first, are very, very supportive and highly involved in our curriculum and other facets of the district," Messer said. "We teach children in schools to become critical listeners, critical readers. We teach them about primary sources of information, and only one person came forth to validate ... what are the facts."