ACLU warns schools about promoting religion during holidays

Schools in Tennessee are gonna have to be careful about wishing its students a happy and safe Christmas vacation.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20101208/NEWS04/101208020/ACLU+warns+schools+about+holiday+activities+

The American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee has warned school officials across the state about holiday celebrations.

In a letter to the 137 public school superintendents, the group reminded them that holiday celebrations focusing primarily on one religious holiday amount to a school's unconstitutional endorsement of religion.

The ACLU said in a news release that it was responding to numerous complaints from families about such school activities.

Hedy Weinberg, ACLU executive director in Tennessee, said it is especially important for people to embrace the constitutional guarantees of the First Amendment in order to ensure that religious freedom flourishes.

The letter cites several U.S. Supreme Court decisions about the matter.

God forbid schools wish kids good things. Lol

People should know Christmas is the most recognized and celebrated holiday. If they don't celebrate it and want attention brought to theirs then it's up to THEM to bring attention to it. Don't silence the "Merry Christmas".

Shale wrote:
But, who knows how bad this was in TN. Not the most liberal place where ppl of other minority faiths or differences can expect to have their beliefs respected. The local attitude could very well be that "Jews killed our lord and savior Jesus Christ." Really, I have heard that very statement in the deep south. Jews are barely tolerated in some locales.

I've heard this from the pulpit of churches. Seriously. Some of these people don't even understand their own religion.

The ACLU has more pressing socio-political issues to investigate than whether or not schools are using the neutral "Happy Holidays" banner in their cafeterias. Make an issue out religious intolerance, not symbolic religious dominance.

Chris wrote:In a letter to the 137 public school superintendents, the group reminded them that holiday celebrations focusing primarily on one religious holiday amount to a school's unconstitutional endorsement of religion.

The letter cites several U.S. Supreme Court decisions about the matter.[/b]

My real problem with this attitude is how much ignorance and irresponsibility is injected into these emotional appeals by parents and reactionary decisions by officials. People seem to forget the fact that neither Hanukkah, Kwanzaa nor Ramadan are federal holidays in the United States, while Christmas is! Businesses are closed and government employees don't work on Christmas because December 25th is a national federal holiday and has been for 140 years. Christmas was designated a federal holiday by Congress and President Ulysses S. Grant in 1870. When other religious holidays become national recognized holidays, THEN maybe these people can accuse the school of favoring a religion. But the US government has ALREADY recognized it as a national holiday OVER all other religious holidays! So perhaps these people should be taking it up with the US Government instead of local schools who are only practicing a centuries old tradition.

Perhaps the schools in Tennessee should just run right through the year, then, and not bother taking time off for Christmas Day. Why bother having a day off when they're not acknowledging the reason for it. I wonder if the trustees would be willing to work on December 25th, seeing as they seem to consider it a regular day.

I'm glad where I live, different cultures and traditions are celebrated and recognized. If someone says "Merry Christmas" to me, I'll respond back in the same way. If they say Happy Hanukkah, I'll also respond back the same way, and so on.

I think it should be up to schools to acknowledge the holiday or not. For children in large schools in the city, there are holidays celebrated by their counterparts that are not properly acknowledged. Personally, I don't think it should be celebrated in the schools. But, I know that is not popular opinion.

Impact wrote:The ACLU has more pressing socio-political issues to investigate than whether or not schools are using the neutral "Happy Holidays" banner in their cafeterias. Make an issue out religious intolerance, not symbolic religious dominance.

I'm thinking they don't.