‘Start something wonderful,' Virginia

To the editor: I almost didn’t write this letter. Then I read the letter from Victoria Garloch of Pine Island Elementary School. I also noticed that none of the previous letters mentioned the document entitled “Religion in the Public Schools: Joint Statement of Current Law.” It is a collaborative document that was undersigned by over 30 religious and civil rights groups from the ACLU all the way to the National Association of Evangelicals and everywhere in between. The document was not produced by the US Department of Education but had the complete support of Secretary Richard Wilson Riley, who said many times, “Public schools should not be hostile to religion.” All public schools were supposed to receive a copy of these guidelines in September of 1995. You can access the original document on-line at www.ed.gov/Speeches/04-1995/prayer.htm This document makes clear the fact that prayer and other types of religious expression are permitted and legal in public schools despite myths and rumors to the contrary. It also formed the basis for President Clinton’s “Revised Religious Guidelines for America’s Public Schools.” In response to the President’s guidelines, The National PTA and the Freedom Forum created a pamphlet called “Parents Guide to Religion in Public Schools.” You can access the pamphlet online at www.firstamendmentcenter.org/PDF/parentsguidereligion.PDF. According to the guidelines, under the section “Religious Holidays” it states, “Generally, public schools may teach about religious holidays, and may celebrate the secular aspects of the holiday and objectively teach about their religious aspects. They may not observe the holidays as religious events. Schools should generally excuse students who do not wish to participate in holiday events.” So Victoria, Santa Claus is permitted in your school, especially after regular school hours. I would encourage you and your family to get a copy of the above documents and present them to your school as well as the school board. You may just start something wonderful. I think many people underestimate how many people actually celebrate Christmas who are not Christian. I was shocked myself to discover several families I know, ranging from atheist to Muslim to Jewish, who put up a Christmas tree and tell their children Santa Claus brings them presents. As one parent put so nicely to me, “How do you tell a child that Santa Claus only comes for Christian children?” The short answer is: you don’t. Santa is known to deliver gifts to all good boys and girls. I’ve been an active volunteer parent working with children from toddler/preschool age through 8th grade in varying aspects of the community since my family moved to Warwick over 5 years ago. Never have I heard a child complain that they felt “left out” by this event nor have my children come home and shared anything of the sort that they heard from others. We can learn a lot from our children about what it means to accept others for who they are. They support one another and their religious convictions. Maybe, we should listen to them. “Nothing in the First Amendment converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door.” -President Clinton, July 12, 1995. Merry Christmas to All! Kim Dixon Warwick