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BILL BOSHER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Jan 14, 2001
December was a challenging month for schools. A time that
should have brought joy and cheer frequently rang with calls
of conflict and even threats of litigation. In a month with
so many wonderful celebrations of religious and cultural origin,
teachers and administrators have been excessively cautioned
about permitting religion to get into the schools. While many
young people and their families were celebrating religious
holidays such as Christmas and Hanukkah or cultural festivals
such as Kwanzaa, schools were asked to act as though the season
did not exist.
Parents and educators in this country did not at some point
in time get together and determine that young people needed
a break from school in the winter and spring. In reality,
school calendars were structured to represent two significant
Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter. With the growth
of different religions and cultures in our communities, schools
found more euphemistic descriptions such as winter and spring
breaks.
CONCERNS about Christmas in the schools were addressed with
policies and practices that obliterated any discussion of
religious holidays. Christmas concerts and plays became winter
concerts and holiday plays with focus on Santa, reindeer,
and gift-giving.
Organizations whose missions seem to be purging religion
from public schools have used intimidation and myth to do
what the courts have not done: Make schools religion-free.
How do we teach people to understand each other while ignoring
their faith and customs? Why should teachers be asked to ignore
what students so obviously can see?
The First Amendment clearly prohibits the government from
establishing a religion; however, the same Constitution protects
us all in exercising our faith. In 1995, the American Jewish
Congress, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National
Council of Churches, the National Association of Evangelicals,
and many other denominational- and faith-based organizations
issued Religion in the Public Schools: A Joint Statement of
Current Law.
THESE guidelines, which must reflect the restrictions of
common sense and reasonable practice, very closely resemble
publications of the National PTA, the U.S. Department of Education,
and the Virginia Board of Education:
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Students may pray, read their scriptures, discuss their
faith, and invite others to join their religious group.
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Religious symbols may be displayed as part of the academic
program. Sacred music may be sung or played as part of
a school’s academic program. The use of music, art, drama,
or literature with religious themes is permissible if
used in an educational way.
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Students may wear religious clothing and display religious
symbols in school.
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Students may distribute religious literature on public-school
campuses.
In introducing the “Joint Statement” on its website,
the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (www.ifcj.org)
also noted that in the pressure to make schools “religion-free,”
many young people had been erroneously asked not to pray at
lunch, write about religious themes, hand out literature with
biblical quotes, and give Christmas gifts to their classmates.
This same misinterpretation of the First Amendment prompted
a local principal to inform a parent that even though it was
his turn to read to his child’s class, he could not use the
“Christmas Story.”
WHILE THIS issue is difficult for schools, it is also a challenge
for our communities. Certainly no one would ask that a teacher
or administrator hide his or her faith in order to work in
schools. We should guard equally against leaving young people
puzzled about what they see in us at church or the synagogue
and in the classroom. It is perhaps better to let young people
know that we have a faith and risk the potential of their
emulation than to say to them that we have no faith at all.
For my family, December brought focus to the center of our
faith, the birth of Jesus Christ. At the core of Christianity
is caring for your neighbor. If this transcends from belief
to virtue for us, then it also would include recognizing,
understanding, and loving those who think differently. Perhaps
that is what President Clinton had in mind two years ago,
when he said, “Schools do more than train children’s
minds. They also help to nurture their souls by reinforcing
the values they learn at home and in their communities. .
. . The First Amendment has protected our religious freedom
and allowed faiths to flourish in our homes, in our work place,
and in our schools . . . .”
Perhaps now is the time to prepare for next season.
Bill Bosher, executive director of the Commonwealth Educational
Institute at VCU, completes his year-long stint as a 2000 Commentary
Columnist with this column.
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