Christmas message is perfectly compatible
with the spirit of public education

Lewiston Porter Sentinel, December 3, 2005
by Lenny Palumbo
Lewiston Porter Board of Education

At the Nov. 15 meeting, the Lewiston Porter Board of education reaffirmed district policy that gives teachers and administrators the freedom to celebrate Christmas, so long as they do not exclude students of other faiths from doing otherwise. Hopefully, this will put an end to the pervasive misconception that state and federal laws prohibit the celebration of Christmas in public schools. This simply is not the case.

Here are a few little-known facts pertaining to the celebration of Christmas in public schools:

• Congress has proclaimed Christmas to be a public legal holiday.

• No court has ever ruled that the Constitution requires government officials to censor Christmas carols, eliminate all references to Christmas, or silence those who celebrate Christ’s birth.

• School officials may refer to the school break in December as a “Christmas holiday” without offending the Constitution. The Supreme Court has acknowledged with approval that government has long recognized holidays with religious significance such as Christmas.

• School districts may not ban teachers or students from saying “Merry Christmas.” The Supreme Court has stated that teachers and students do not “shed their Constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

• The Supreme Court has held that the Constitution “affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any.” First Amendment rights, such as the rights of freedom of speech and expression, accompany each student throughout the school day, both inside and outside the classroom. Consequently, school officials must permit students to convey religious sentiments through their school assignments, selection of reading materials, and clothing that conveys a religious message through words or symbols.

• Public school officials may display religious symbols, such as a Nativity scene, without offending the Constitution if they have clear educational reason for doing so. The Supreme Court has held that the display of a Nativity scene is Constitutional if it is displayed for legitimate secular purposes, such as to celebrate and depict the origins of the holiday.

Some may remember the infamous Christmas cross fiasco several years ago that was a colossal embarrassment for our community. There was absolutely no justification whatsoever to defend such an outrageous abuse of power. Parents who encountered such abuses must arm themselves with the intellectual ammunition necessary to defend their rights and those of their children. Otherwise, politically ambitious administrators will take full advantage of the situation, as they are all over the country.

It is my sincere hope that all the students and teachers who would like to enjoy the Christmas season at Lew-Port will feel comfortable doing so. Let’s all remember that it’s a beautiful time of the year with an essential message that is perfectly compatible with the spirit of public education. Merry Christmas.