15 Due to the dominance of religious music in serious choral music and the legitimate secular reasons for having public school students sing choral music, courts have been more lenient about allowing public school choirs to sing religious music. (Note: This is a revised version of an earlier post on this subject). And what better time than Christmas? It didn't look like the ones on TV, but it worked pretty well. So long as teachers are generally permitted to wear clothing or jewelry or have personal items expressing their views about the holidays, Christian teachers may not be prohibited from similarly expressing their views by wearing Christmas-related clothing or jewelry or carrying Christmas-related personal items. Remember the attack on Merry Christmas? Christmas trees … Can public schools have Christmas trees? Just consider some of the incidents that have taken place in recent years. Public school teachers may send Christmas cards to the families of their students so long as they do so on their own time, outside of school hours. While these celebrations are no doubt intended to spread Christmas joy, there are negative consequences to these kinds of celebrations for children who do not belong to the Christian faith or who do not celebrate Christmas at … We made it easy for you to exercise your right to vote. According to the Supreme Court in Stone v. Graham , the “Bible may constitutionally be used in an appropriate study of history, civilization, ethics, comparative religion, or the like.” 449 U.S. 39, 42 (1980). 9. "I come from a place that Christmas and the like are not allowed in schools, as over the years in my educational career, this has evolved into the expectation for all educators," Sinclair wrote. While it is true that public school teachers, as agents of the state, may not advance religion, they are allowed to discuss the role of religion in all aspects of American culture and its history. 7. That was under siege. Manuel Katz, a … Public school students' written or spoken personal expressions concerning the religious significance of Christmas (e.g., T-shirts with the slogan, "Jesus Is the Reason for the Season") may not be censored by school officials absent evidence that the speech would cause a substantial disruption. Many conservative groups have rallied to defend Christmas, lobbying for decorations in public schools or town halls. In 2007, a controversy arose when a public school in Ottawa, Ontario, planned to have the children in its primary choir sing a version of the song "Silver Bells" with the word "Christmas" replaced by "festive"; the concert also included the songs "Candles of Christmas" and "It's Christmas" with the original lyrics. ______________. The school\\'s principal said in an email that she and the PTA chose to ban Christmas at the party to avoid \\"offending anyone.\\" Natural cut trees are prohibited in occupancies where persons may require the assistance of others to exit. If so, our children will have the opportunity to experience the richness of our traditions and culture. I just don't understand Christmas. Mrs. Carl Poley, asserting she spoke as a Jew, said that many Jews wanted to see Christmas trees in public schools. Trees shall be allowed within dwelling units in group R-2 occupancies. Confusion began after the Supreme Court, in a landmark 1962 decision, banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools. I got the toy pistol, but Santa, it seems, couldn't afford a holster. Public schools may teach students about the Christmas holiday, including its religious significance, so long as it is taught objectively for secular purposes such as its historical or cultural importance, and not for the purpose of promoting Christianity. I was a public school teacher for 4 years before I had my daughter. 11. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. This does not mean that schools Religion can be taught as an academic subject, not as an effort to proselytize. For example, a member of a parent/teacher organization at a Connecticut elementary school was in charge of decorating a large display case in the school's entrance. A kindergarten teacher in a Texas public school was informed that he could not mention the word "Christmas" or tell the historical Nativity story because someone in the district might sue. Whether through ignorance, fear or political correctness, Americans are painfully misguided about the recognition of religious holidays. To request assistance, complete our online form or contact our Legal Department at (434) 978-3888 or http://www.rutherford.org/Support/online_help_request_form.asp. Sadly, the timeless celebration of Christmas seems to have been lost in the mix as well. He wrote: Haynes was the principal organizer and drafter of consensus guidelines on religious liberty in schools, which were endorsed by a broad range of religious and educational organizations. The Rutherford Institute's "Twelve Rules of Christmas" are included below. This means that students can freely distribute Christmas or Hanukkah cards to their friends and teachers, just as they would a birthday card. We sang Christmas carols in the classroom. We cannot read aloud to the students any book pertaining to religious beliefs or happenings brought by you [the teacher] or the students. --Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965. Schools are advised against holding a "Christmas party" in the classroom, the department says, though a "holiday" or "end of semester" or end-of-year party is permitted. What’s true — and not true — about religious expression in public schools. Can students pray in school and listen to religious music? Are American schoolchildren to be forbidden from learning about one of the most culturally significant events because it has spiritual overtones? Of course, the right to engage in voluntary prayer or religious discussion does not necessarily include the right to preach to a captive audience, like an assembly, or to compel other students to participate. It has been more than 40 years since Charlie Brown, as he puzzled over the glitz and commercialism of the modern age, asked, "Doesn't anyone know the true meaning of Christmas?" Use of Christmas Trees in Regulated Occupancies (PDF). (The word holiday, it must be emphasized, means holy day.) 6. There remain many public schools in this country that engage in holiday celebrations that revolve around Christian ideas and principles as they pertain to Christmas. You’d have these big department stores that say ‘happy holidays.’ They say where’s the ‘Merry Christmas?’ Now they’re all putting up ‘Merry Christmas’ again. Everyone’s happy to say ‘Merry Christmas,’ right? In order to clear up much of the misunderstanding, the following twelve rules are offered: 1. So my dad made one for me out of one of my mother's old leather purses. Public schools may include Christmas music, including those with religious themes, in their choral programs if the songs are included for a secular purpose such as their musical quality or cultural value or if the songs are part of Meanwhile, Trump has been claiming he won the “war on Christmas” for some time. No religious words can be attached. 12. While schools cannot initiate or sponsor religious activities — including prayer — nobody can stop students from praying to whatever or whomever they want, whenever they want as long, as they do it privately and don’t try to force others to follow. Why can't it be a time to reflect and celebrate our freedoms? You asked if Connecticut has a state law or guideline that prohibits decorating public schools for the Christmas holidays. 1. 5. display. In a society already known for its selfishness and consumerism, it seems that a religious holiday would be an opportunity to celebrate something more essential, something wholesome and good and also something that would remind us of our nation's history -- one that is dominated by a spiritual and religious heritage. Religious music can be played in public schools when the overall focus of the activity is not religious. Unfortunately, far too many parents, students and teachers erroneously believe they cannot celebrate Christmas in the public schools. Such cards can even mention the words God and Jesus Christ. Cultural celebrations like Kwanzaa and the … We were never allowed to put up Christmas decorations - at least not to the extent of a Christmas tree. Constitutional attorney John W. Whitehead is president of The Rutherford Institute, Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. Government entities may erect and maintain celebrations of the Christmas holiday, such as Christmas trees and Christmas light displays, and may include crèches in their displays at least so long as the purpose for including the crèche is not to promote its religious content and it is placed in context with other symbols of the Holiday season as part of an effort to celebrate the public Christmas holiday through its traditional symbols. All other secular customs of the "winter holiday" were deemed to be okay, just not the religious symbols of Christianity. “Remember, I said, it’s awfully early to be thinking this, but I always think it. We also receive complaints about other religious symbols being displayed on public property, such as menorahs Individual school districts may have their own policies about Christmas decorations in school. No indoctrination toward a specific religion can ever be allowed in American public schools.Part of our American greatness is our ability to live in peace even with differences of viewpoints. Recently there has been a lot of debate on whether or not public schools should celebrate or even acknowledge Christmas. Can a Christmas tree ever be allowed? Public or private employees whose sincerely held religious beliefs require that they not work on Christmas must be reasonably accommodated by their employers unless granting the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the employer. 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