Had the most interesting lesson today in church, the teacher who is a teacher IRL was telling about what she can and can’t do in the classroom, quoting, “We can teach about Hanukkah, we can teach about Ramaden, we can teach about Kwanza, but we can’t teach about Christmas.” She then went on to detail how they weren’t allowed to hang religious decorations, Santa is ok thou, or sing Christmas Carols, something about a federal mandate. Others, some also teachers, chimed in that it was obey or lose Federal funding. Note, all teaching about these other religious observances are deemed ok, just NOT Christmas. I suspect the A.C.L.U. has something to do with this.
Google to the rescue. Ah ha! Found what I wanted.
I’d like to quote from this memorandum from Peter Gentala, Legal Counsel to the School Superintendent & School Board Members re “Constitutional Rights of Students, Teachers, and Public Schools to Seasonal Religious Expression” here in Arizona, a red state as it contained some legal rulings that clarify exactly what schools can and cannot censor.
It is a common misconception that it is only permissible to celebrate one religious holiday if equal time is allowed for celebration of all other religious holidays. But no Court has ever held that celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas as religious holidays requires recognition of all other religious holidays. The Supreme Court has explained that governmental action is not unconstitutional merely because it confers an indirect, remote, and incidental benefit to one faith or religion, or to all religions. Lynch, 465 U.S. at 683. Thus, mere government recognition of a religious holiday is constitutionally permissible. Bridenbaugh, 185 F.3d at 801.
See, it is ok for the schools to recognize Christmas as a holiday, After all, President Bush recognizes it as a holiday. Congress recognized it as a legal holiday too.
Religious Christmas carols may be sung in public schools without offending the Constitution. Religious Christmas carols may be sung by individual students or by a group of students during school activities such as choir, Christmas programs, and other events. Although challenges have been brought, public schools have successfully defended their students’ constitutional right to sing Christmas carols. See, e.g., Florey v. Sioux Falls Sch. Dist., 619 F.2d 1311, 1319 (8 th Cir. 1980).
Some schools have even banned instrumental renditions of religious music. Don’t have to censor out all the religious carols from Christmas.
School districts may not ban teachers and students from saying “Merry Christmas.” The Supreme Court has stated that teachers and students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” Tinker v. Des Moines Indep. Cmty. Sch. Dist., 393 U.S. 503, 506 (1969) (holding that the wearing of armbands by students to show disapproval of Vietnam hostilities was constitutionally protected speech). Teachers also have the right to greet students with the words “Merry Christmas,” in spite of their role as agents of the state. In order to violate the Establishment Clause, a teacher would have to use her authority to promote religion to impressionable youth. See School Dist. of Abington v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963). Saying a simple common greeting does not rise to a state endorsement of religion.
It’s unimaginable that they were prohibited from saying “Merry Christmas.” It’s ok to say “Merry Christmas” too, so there. Doesn’t have to be strictly “Happy Holidays.”
The religious origins of Christmas may be studied in the classroom without offending the Constitution. The Supreme Court has stated that “the Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.” Stone v. Graham, 449 U.S. 39, 42 (1981) (holding that a state statute requiring the permanent posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms violated the First Amendment because the legislature did not have a secular purpose). A federal appeals court has defined “the term ‘study’ to include more than mere classroom instruction; public performance may be a legitimate part of secular study.” Florey, 619 F.2d at 1316. Therefore, school officials may constitutionally present Christmas passages from the Bible, such as Matthew 1:18-2:22 and Luke 2:1-20, with a variety of teaching methods.
Can teach about the religious origins of Christmas too.
Public school officials may display religious symbols such as a creche or nativity scene without offending the constitution if they have an educational reason for doing so. The Supreme Court has held that the display of a nativity scene is constitutional if it is displayed for legitimate secular purposes, such as to celebrate the holiday and to depict the origins of the holiday. Lynch, 465 U.S. at 681.
Can display religious symbols too legally…. in the classroom.
The First Amendment protects the right to express ideas through the distribution of literature. Lovell v. City of Griffin, 303 U.S. 444 (1938) (holding that a city ordinance prohibiting the distribution of literature without city permission violated the rights of freedom of speech and the press). Because the Supreme Court has stated that the constitutional rights of students accompany them throughout the school day, students have the right to express ideas through the distribution of literature while at school. Tinker, 393 U.S. at 506; see, e.g., Westfield Sch. L.I.F.E. Club, 249 F. Supp. 2d 98, 114 (D. Mass. 2003).
Can’t forget the sharing of Christmas Cards, guess they have been censoring those at “Holiday” parties.
This isn’t an isolated school here and there (although there seem to be a lot of them) that you read about at WND, it’s nationwide. So why are the higher ups intimidating the teachers in a predominently Christian town? School administrators cave without asking “Why?” Without asking for the Legal Rulings backing up the “Why?” If they did, maybe they would find that they could celebrate Christmas. Maybe they don’t want to. They just cave (agenda here) and then intimidate the teachers. Seems to me there are some people that need to be voted or booted (as the case) may be out of office. Another question which deserves answering is “Why do we even have a Department of Education?” Sensible thing to be would be to abolish all federal control of education and perhaps people will come to their senses. Would save on the federal deficit too. Feds don’t need to be controlling every aspect of our lives. And with President Bush being a Christian, it makes no sense whatsoever for the government to be trying to abolish all mention of Christianity to be “Politically Correct.” None whatsoever. The A.C.L.U. can’t be more powerful than the federal government unless it lets them. Legislating from the bench, methinks, and totally unaccountable to the people.
