HispanicBusiness

Walmart has apologized for refusing to allow a school chorus to sing inside a Florida store to remember Sept. 11, 2001, officials said.

Tuesday, 75 chorus members from Coconut Palm Elementary in Miramar showed up at the Walmart store to sing "God Bless America" as part of a prearranged tribute, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

Much to their dismay, a Walmart representative refused to honor their agreement and did not allow the chorus to sing inside the store.

The chorus members decided to gather under a nearby flag that was at half-staff and sing there instead of inside the store. They were heading out when police arrived in response to a report of a "flash mob situation."

On Wednesday, a Walmart spokeswoman apologized to the chorus on behalf of the company.

"We regret this happened and apologize to the students, parents and the school for this experience," said the spokeswoman, Kayla Whaling, based in Bentonville, Ark. "Unfortunately, this was a situation of miscommunication and it should have been handled differently.

"We're also inviting the kids back to the store to help honor the victims and fallen heroes."