Parents Demand District Stop Barring Christmas from Classrooms
by Jim Brown
November 9, 2004
(AgapePress) - A group of parents is upset that little -- if any -- discussion of Christmas is allowed in their Maine school district's classrooms.In 1994, the Scarborough (Maine) School District banned all Christmas celebrations. However, since the policy was adopted, talk about Hanukkah and other non-Christian holidays has been allowed in the district. And, according to area parent Lisa Lowry, even though the schools' policy was amended two years ago, the teachers are still afraid to discuss Christmas.
As a result of this situation, Lowry says Scarborough kids are coming home afraid to say "Merry Christmas." The Maine mom, who has three children in the district schools, is dismayed for a number of reasons. "I grew up with Christmas celebrations in our school, and of course I have all the wonderful memories that go with that," she says, "and I really am saddened that my children haven't been able to experience the same thing."
And the deliberate excising of the Christian celebration from the children's lives is not only evidenced at school. "I also work in a church where I'm the Christian education director," Lowry says, "and when we do a Christmas pageant, the kids don't even know Christmas carols anymore, because they are not ... learning about Christmas carols [as my generation did] in school when we were growing up."
But of particular concern to the Scarborough parent is the fact that the schools go beyond merely suppressing the Christian holiday to expressly discriminate against it. "Right now in our school system Hanukkah festival [music] is being played in the school band, but nothing about Christmas," she says.
Lowry feels strongly that if talk about Hanukkah and other religious holidays is allowed -- as it should be -- then Christmas should not be left out either. And as far as she is concerned, secular "holiday season" songs are no substitute.
"There's a snow medley about 'Winter Wonderland' and another song," the mother of three says, "and that's [the school officials'] idea of being equal, I guess, to represent Christmas. But I like to see Christmas being called Christmas, and Hanukkah being called Hanukkah, instead of a holiday party."
Lowry and other mothers and fathers in the Scarborough District are letting the school officials know they feel all religious holidays should be given equal treatment. The parents are asking the district administrators to allow Christmas celebrations back into classrooms.
