Teh One Who Knocks
12-05-2013, 05:54 PM
By Doris Quintanilla - Opposing Views
Students at a Georgia elementary school allegedly returned from Thanksgiving break to empty halls where their teachers’ Christmas cards once hung. The cards were, according to Townhall.com, removed as part of the school administration’s crackdown on religious items.
“They took down the cards so the kids can’t see them,” Robb Kicklighter, whose wife is a third grade teacher at Brooklet Elementary School, reportedly said. “Some of the cards had the word ‘Christmas’ and some had Nativity scenes.”
The cards have been put behind an office door so only teachers could access them, a move that has upset many.
“It’s really sad because the students look forward to seeing those homemade Christmas cards every year,” he said. “It’s stirred a lot conversation. This has been a tradition and the kids are wondering what happened to the cards.”
The Americans United for Separation of Church and State have filed a complaint with the Bullock Board of Education, according to the Bullock County Citizens for Religious Liberties Facebook page.
Now, items such as Bibles and Christian music have also been banned at the school.
“It’s an attack on Christianity,” Kicklighter said. “It seems like every time we turn around, someone is offended.”
Hundreds have joined the Bulloch County Citizens for Religious Liberties Facebook page to protest the censorship, with many planning to attend a school board meeting on Thursday to voice out their opinions.
“Teachers, faculty, and students have the right to reasonable private expression and should not have that right taken away because of a complaint made by an outside entity like the AUSCS,” Jonathan Cook of the Facebook group wrote.
However, the Bulloch County School District issued a statement saying that “Christmas is alive and well,” according to WSAV. The issue, the statement read, was a privacy concern on behalf of one of the faculty members, and not a religious one.
“Bulloch County Schools nor BES’s administrators have not, nor do they plan to, remove any student’s learning experiences about Christmas or any other season holiday. Students returned Monday from Thanksgiving break, and already student’s holiday artwork is going up on bulletin boards, walls and doorways,” the statement added.
Other schools across the nation are restricting Christmas related items. York Preparatory Academy in Rock Hill, S.C. has banned Christmas carols with religious tones such as “Joy to the World” and “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.”
Students at a Georgia elementary school allegedly returned from Thanksgiving break to empty halls where their teachers’ Christmas cards once hung. The cards were, according to Townhall.com, removed as part of the school administration’s crackdown on religious items.
“They took down the cards so the kids can’t see them,” Robb Kicklighter, whose wife is a third grade teacher at Brooklet Elementary School, reportedly said. “Some of the cards had the word ‘Christmas’ and some had Nativity scenes.”
The cards have been put behind an office door so only teachers could access them, a move that has upset many.
“It’s really sad because the students look forward to seeing those homemade Christmas cards every year,” he said. “It’s stirred a lot conversation. This has been a tradition and the kids are wondering what happened to the cards.”
The Americans United for Separation of Church and State have filed a complaint with the Bullock Board of Education, according to the Bullock County Citizens for Religious Liberties Facebook page.
Now, items such as Bibles and Christian music have also been banned at the school.
“It’s an attack on Christianity,” Kicklighter said. “It seems like every time we turn around, someone is offended.”
Hundreds have joined the Bulloch County Citizens for Religious Liberties Facebook page to protest the censorship, with many planning to attend a school board meeting on Thursday to voice out their opinions.
“Teachers, faculty, and students have the right to reasonable private expression and should not have that right taken away because of a complaint made by an outside entity like the AUSCS,” Jonathan Cook of the Facebook group wrote.
However, the Bulloch County School District issued a statement saying that “Christmas is alive and well,” according to WSAV. The issue, the statement read, was a privacy concern on behalf of one of the faculty members, and not a religious one.
“Bulloch County Schools nor BES’s administrators have not, nor do they plan to, remove any student’s learning experiences about Christmas or any other season holiday. Students returned Monday from Thanksgiving break, and already student’s holiday artwork is going up on bulletin boards, walls and doorways,” the statement added.
Other schools across the nation are restricting Christmas related items. York Preparatory Academy in Rock Hill, S.C. has banned Christmas carols with religious tones such as “Joy to the World” and “Oh Come All Ye Faithful.”