Group wants board to revert to 'Christmas Program'
By Bobbi Mlynar (Contact)
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
A delegation led by Chester Morris has asked the Emporia board of education to change the name of the Seasonal Celebration back to its original name: Christmas Program.
Morris made the request at the Wednesday evening meeting of the board, as the annual Seasonal Celebration program was in progress at the Civic Auditorium.
The group also wants the board reinstate the district’s “decades-old practice of Bible reading to accurately depict the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ,” he said.
The program’s name was changed to "Seasonal Celebration" and some of the content was modified in the early 1990's, when the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the district. Morris called the ACLU’s action “intimidating, illicit and unlawful.” He cited case law, provided by the American Center for Law and Justice, that allows students to take part in a number of activities that are oriented toward Christianity.
Students are allowed to sing Christmas carols, write about the origin of Christmas and the birth of Jesus, refer to Christmas and Easter holidays, Morris said.
“We are here to defend our country’s well-established religious heritage,” he said. “... Is there a protocol to implement this petition and, if so, what is it?”
Superintendent John Heim said that the petition goes beyond the scope of what the Celebration committee normally considers when it meets after the programs have been presented each year.
“It’s a little bit out of the ordinary,” he said. “To make that kind of a change, there would have to be a recommendation (from the committee) back to this board and they would have to either approve or deny.”
Bill Barnes spoke to the board about the complexities of the district budget. He asked what the board was planning to do, or what steps already had been taken, to simplify the process.
Barnes asked whether there had been a favorable or unfavorable variance in the state aid that had been estimated and incorporated into the budget.
“You would assume that ... but you would be wrong,” Heim said. The district still does not have a report from the state.
“We’re about halfway through (the fiscal year) and still not sure of the answers,” Board President Grant Riles said.
Heim told Barnes that the legislature had appointed members of the 2010 commission about one year ago. Their work is not finished, though some of the recommendations have been discussed.
“One of their recommendations is that we go to a standardized system for all school budgets in the state,” he said.
Barnes also asked whether budgeted interest on district funds was ahead, behind, or on track to date.
Assistant Superintendent for Finance Susan Hernandez said that she would need to obtain the exact numbers, but anticipated that interest is ahead of the budgeted amount.
“Maybe that could be reported at some time in the future,” Barnes said.
The board unanimously approved two modifications to the 2007-08 school calendar and the hiring of Britton Hart as assistant principal and athletic director at Emporia High School beginning July 1, 2007.
Comments
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staceyhaney (anonymous) says...
It should absolutely be called the Christmas program because that is what this time of year is all about. It is Jesus Christ's birthday. I am tired of my rights as a believer being infringed upon and I'm glad Mr. Morris came to the meeting with this suggestion. Why is it that my rights can be infringed upon but no one else's?
December 13, 2006 at 9:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
I think its about time we did. Each year people keep adjusting to 'fit' others needs. Well its a minority that seems to win it over for some reason and I say let it be the majority who want to celebrate CHRISTMAS. The "season' we are celebrating is Christmas.
December 13, 2006 at 9:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tknaak (inactive user) says...
I think during the Holiday season people need to be more open, friendly, and generous than you normally are ... and I hope that many of you agree with that.
In that light, why would you be so stubborn as to label the celebration for your own personal reasons? It is there for everyone to enjoy, not just a select few.
I imagine the vast majority of the Emporia population is Christian, but please remember that you need to be open to the other faiths, they enjoy this time of year just as much as any Christian.
In my opinion, if you are really want a Christmas celebration, enjoy your faith where is should be, in your church.
In the end though, it really does not matter. People are going to go see it no matter what the show is called.
December 14, 2006 at 11:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
Public schools. Public funding. What part of this do you not understand?
If you want a "Christmas" pageant, please feel free to proceed to have one at your church of choice.
No one is telling you not to celebrate Christmas. In fact, the Seasonal Celebration was created to recognize all faiths, including Christianity. This is a positive thing!
To use public funding for a Christian event is wrong because it excludes persons of other religious beliefs.
December 14, 2006 at 2:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
Please allow me to add to my previous comment.
Many of us tend to reminisce about what was, and that includes the former Christmas Pageant produced by the public schools of Emporia. I participated in the pageant for many years. In fact, during my senior year, I was the last "Joseph" before the pageant was revised to become the now Seasonal Celebration. I enjoyed annual performances, and was upset when the ACLU urged the change. Yet in retrospect, I see that it was wrong for the city to use public funding for a purposefully Christian event when not all citizens (yes, citizens) are of the Christian faith.
We must be more inclusive. We must adapt to change, we must allow our way of thing to evolve in order to embrace our neighbors. It is the partiotic thing to do.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." -- The First Amendment.
December 14, 2006 at 3:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
difference_of_opinion (anonymous) says...
This is the first year I was able to attend the Seasonal Celebration to see a younger sibling participate...and I have to say that I was really impressed. First and formost...this production is about the kids from the school district coming together and putting on a program for the entire community to come see. I am a Christian and celebrate Christmas, and I still found the program to be very stimulating! I thought it was moving to be able to hear music that resonates from other countries this time of year. How disrespectful would it be to the non-Christian members of this community to change this program back to the non "P.C" version? How is that fair? Your religion is something for you to be proud of and celebrate, not for you to push onto everyone else in the community. If you want to decorate your house, do it. If you want to send out cards, do it. AND, if you want to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the true meaning behind Christmas, do it at home or in a church or in a Christian setting...do not force the public schools, where children from different religions attend, to do it! How would all you Christians feel if you lived in a primarily Jewish community and their school put on a Hannukah pagaent only, and gave no alternatives for your child to participate in? Just because it is the majority does not always make it right! I think instead of being so overbearing with our religious views, it would be more of the "Christian thing to do" by continuing to praise and accept the Lord we believe in into our own hearts, be acceptant of other people's rights and live harmoneously. Overall, either the schools need individual productions for every religion...or they need to include every religion in the one production they do. That is the only way it is fair to everyone. I think they did an excellent job and my only suggestion would be to include a little more of EVERY religion into the program!
December 15, 2006 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )