By BJC Executive Director J. Brent Walker for Religion News Service
This is an abbreviated version of the story. For the full story, click here.
Like much of the pre-Christmas hype that used to come only after Thanksgiving, cries of a “War on Christmas” began early this year.
This time, public school policies concerning religious holidays got caught in the crosshairs. Charges have been leveled in response to the Montgomery County, Md., Board of Education’s vote (7-1) to remove any mention of religious holidays on days that school is out. The action came after a complaint from a Muslim group that its holidays were not recognized as an occasion for school closure.
We live in a country that rightly prevents government endorsement of religion while protecting religious exercise. Indeed, public schools must accommodate the religious needs of the students without advancing religion itself.
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The schools’ first act of accommodation should be a generous excusal policy for individual students wishing to be absent from school to celebrate a religious holiday.
Although public schools must not recognize religious holidays or call off school for religious reasons, they may mandate districtwide closures when religious excusals reach a critical mass and the school day would be seriously disrupted by widespread absenteeism. This would be a matter of administrative convenience — a proper secular purpose — not an endorsement of any religion or religious holiday.
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The policy adopted in Montgomery County — while misguided — should not be interpreted as an act of hostility toward Christmas or other religious holidays, any more than saying “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” to someone in any way disparages Christmas or diminishes our enjoyment of it.
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Click here to read the article on the Religion News Service website.
