Here comes Santa Claus, right into D-49 meeting

Christmas is still more than two months away, but it was on the minds of Falcon School District 49 Board members Thursday as they voted to institute a mandatory examination of laws regarding religion in schools as a way to better prepare their teachers for the holidays.

The board voted 3-1 to amend their Commitment to Religious Neutrality policy so teachers will know what they can or cannot do in the classroom with regard to federal holidays.

The new policy will require that D-49 attorneys search case law and judicial interpretations for any new laws or resolutions related to religious expression and federal holiday observances in schools. Based on their legal guidance, district officials would, in turn, provide additional guidelines to teachers and other staff.

Board member Mark Shook, who suggested the amendment at a work session several weeks ago, said such information would prevent the confusion that seems to crop up every holiday season over such issues as what songs can be sung at Christmas musicals, whether teachers can send out Christmas cards to students, or what can be taught about the holiday.

He says the recommended change was not meant to put an end to such school celebrations, but to ensure that the Constitutional rights of staff and students to observe celebrations aren't denied.

One focus of the debate on the issue was whether to call the amendment a "Christmas policy" or a "federal holiday policy." The board went with federal holiday policy.

The topic has come up before.

Two years ago, D-49's school board voted to use the term "Christmas break" instead of "winter break" on the school calendar. Most local school districts use the term winter break.

Shook, Dave Stark and Kent Clawson voted for the latest resolution.

Dave Martin voted against it; He said later he thought the resolution was redundant.
Board President Anna Bartha did not attend the meeting.

Several parents and teachers spoke in favor of using the term federal holiday instead of Christmas.

Mary Lougee, a district teacher who would have left the policy alone, said, "There are so many pitfalls and they can lead to misdirection of educational energy."

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Contact the writer: carol.mcgraw@gazette.com; 636-0371