The war on Christmas, Chicago elementary to cancel or rename Christmas break



First Strike against Christmas: Superintendents

Christmas has come early this year and by "Christmas" I mean the war on it. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to begin this campaign so early in the month (I also hoped that Christmas would have been immediately taken the offensive this season.) Nonetheless, here are the details of the first attack.

Children in Ridgeland School District 122 in Oak Lawn, Chicago, will celebrate fall festival instead of Halloween and winter festival instead of Christmas. The decision, which came down from Superintendent Tom Smyth, was a response to a parent who tried to put up decorations for Ramadan at Columbus Manor Elementary. The decorations were taken down by school officials and now parents of the district's 30% Arab-American population are upset. Now, the Ridgeland School District will have no decorations up for Halloween or Christmas this year and will be either be renaming or canceling their Christmas break.

Apparently, the Muslim children have all been allowed to pray at school and openly practice their astonishing spiritual discipline toward their God during lunch time throughout Ramadan. Doesn't it seem fair then that since the rest of the children don't have parents that teach them that sort of strength in their faith, that we allow them to hang up pictures of trees with lights on them in honor of the birth of Jesus?

I just think that it would make for an all around more accepting atmosphere in schools (and maybe the world) if we allowed decorations for all of the students' religious holidays (if parents who represent those holidays are willing to volunteer to do so) and let kids excitedly share and learn about them.

2 comments:

God Of Bacon said...

Congress is voting in a special war tax to pay for the War on Christmas. They're hoping to fund the new tax with increased retail sales in the late autumn.

Chase Roper said...

What a great plan! Christmas always fights back the way it knows best - retail sales and marketing!