Easter Decorations
March 19th, 2008 by Joe CiccantiThere were some questions raised about a statement by Indian River School District Superintendent Susan Bunting regarding Easter decorations. Teachers were reportedly told to remove Easter Decorations such as bunny rabbits, Easter eggs and baskets because they are religious symbols (of course, they are NOT religious symbols). According to School District Spokesman Dave Maull. that is not true. He says, “At no time did she say that the teachers had to take down Easter decorations.†There was a statement issued to us by Superintendent Susan Bunting after these questions were asked. She made no mention of decorations in classrooms that teachers were reportedly told to remove. Here is her statement:
Statement from Superintendent Susan Bunting regarding Easter activities at district elementary schools: “On March 20, 2008, Indian River elementary schools will be hosting celebration parties related to the recent completion of the Delaware Student Testing Program. Parents and students can bring food, beverages and candy to school on this day, and children can enjoy what is contributed. If you have any questions or need additional information, please call your school principal or Superintendent Susan Bunting.â€
School district spokesman Dave Maull further adds that what she did say was, “There would be no school sponsored Easter activities.†He says that the reason is explained on the Indian River School District’s Website www.IRSD.net where they have a link that you click on entitled, “Settlement of School Prayer Lawsuit. If you click on that link on the right side of the page, you will come to several more links, such as: http://irsd.net/pdf/school_prayer/IN.1_Religion_w_Real_World_rev.pdf . There you will find information on the policy concerning religious holidays. It states,Â
“No religious belief or non-belief shall be promoted or disparaged, by the district. Instead the District encourages all students and staff members to appreciate and be tolerant of the religious views of others. The district shall foster understanding and mutual respect regarding culture, economic backgrounds, and religious beliefs. In this spirit of tolerance, students and staff shall be excused from participating in practices that will impose a significant burden on the excercise of their religious beliefs. Â
The District will explain the origin and the historical and contemporary significance of religious holidays in an unbiased and objective manner without sectarian indoctrination. The District may permit teaching about religious and cultural holidays (Christmas, for example) in the context of teaching about other religious and cultural holidays (such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Ramadan), so as to provide instruction on religious heritage on particular holidays where it is clear the District is not endorsing or encouraging a religious belief.
The District will permit music, art, literature, and drama having religious themes or bases as part of the curriculum for school-sponsored activities and programs if presented in a prudent and objective manner, as a traditional part of the cultural and religious heritage of the particular holiday, and in a manner where it is clear the District is not endorsing or encouraging a religious belief. The District or any school within the district shall use non-restrictive terms to designate school-sponsored activities or programs involving student participation.Â
The District will permit the use of religious symbols such as a cross, menorah, star and crescent, Star of David, crèche, symbols of Native American religions, or other symbols that are a part of a religious holiday, (including, but not limited to Christmas,  Easter, Passover, Hanukkah, St. Patrick’s Day, St. Valentines Day, Thanksgiving and Halloween) as a teaching aid or resource provided such symbols are displayed as an example of the cultural and religious heritage of the holiday and are temporary in nature.â€
Those are some of the excerpts related to holidays and you’ll find more information as well if you click on the link above. Â
March 20th, 2008 at 6:39 am
I think she should be removed. How can we start that process? They all need to go. They are so far removed from real world activities, I don’t know how they are even educators of our children. A grass roots effort needs to be undertaken to regain the correct direction and teaching of our children.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Please show me in the bible where it says anything at all about Easter Bunnys, or Easter Eggs. Since I as a christian am once again being persecuted, by a public school of all things, during my religious holidays I intend to keep my daughter home from school on that day and take her to church instead.
The IRSD policy is a prime example of that infamous saying, “speaking from both sides of your mouth”
March 20th, 2008 at 11:43 am
You know, since the govt. “took prayer out of schools” (did it really?) like the well-known substance, it’s rolled downhill and this is a result. Not an end result. Far from it and I can’t wait to see what’s next. I don’t identify as a Christian or any religious affiliation but what is the problem here? Public schools are filled with children and staff of all beliefs, religions, cultures. They always have been and it’s not been that long ago when they were praying (presumably, even if to themselves) to whichever God they believed in, in whatever faith. Did anyone ever stop to consider that it’s since evangelical, ‘born again’ believers who have pushed the issue of only one ‘right, true way’ that others began to object, raise lawsuits because their beliefs were not being validated. They didn’t have to be acknowledged in a class room during morning assemblies, they never asked to have Stars of David, Crescent Moons, minorahs or prayer rugs and private rooms in which to worship until a handful of people objected and took it to the Supreme Court. Religion was never, in my recollection at least, pushed into the face of others as it has been these last thirty years or so and it’s getting worse….now it’s over-lapping into the cultural arena on holidays where culture and religion have long blended. Have we ever thought about how ridiculous this makes us all look? Why have we done this to our kids? Families choose their own beliefs and they raise their children accordingly. They instill their religion by conversations and teaching at home, taking them to church and Sunday School every week, perhaps other classes during the week. When they go to school what does…or should…it matter that there they will find a melting pot of the beliefs of others…they are going to find that wherever they go as an adult in the working and social world. Nothing, not one thing, says anyone needs to be converted to conform to the workplace, or anywhere else, particularly school. Whose elementary kids have been converted to another religion by attending a public school and pressured by the child sitting next to them? Whose child has come home saying they don’t want the Easter Bunny or the crufix but would rather have Challah bread and celebrate Passover instead?
If we want to talk about persecution…aren’t all our kids being persecuted when they can’t share and enjoy the rituals in which their parents, their grandparents participated, irrespective of origin? It gives them a broader scope of the world in which they live, allow an opportunity for learning each other’s differences and accepting or dismissing them for themselves by themselves. Rest assured, you can criticize schools for having prayer, holy-days and run scared that each child will be changed or affected by all of it but when those children become adults and can choose for themselves, they will. You can raise a Christian child and one day he/or she will search to find what they can believe in. Most will continue in how they were raised, many won’t but, instead, find another way. Like it or not, it’s the way of the world. As parents, it’s up to US to do the best we can while raising our children…not expect schools or anywhere else…to succumb to the selfish wants of one parent or twenty. So don’t you think it’s parents who set this ball rolling and left our schools without much recourse than to ban or remove anything that might be construed as offensive to twenty rather than have those twenty file law suits? I don’t think it right, this current state of affairs…rather than anger me it saddens…but I can’t say I blame them for doing what they do, today. For those of us who insist that there is only ONE WAY, don’t you think we are the biggest part of the problem? Public schools haven’t persecuted anyone, we righteous brought it on ourselves and they seem simply to be accomodating everyone by removing everything and allowing nothing.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I was very pleased and surprised to see the sign at the Lord Baltimore Elementary School in Millville today. The sign read “school closed March 21-March 28, EASTER BREAK”… !!! I loved it, that is the way it should be, instead of “Spring Holiday”.
March 24th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Must be a clerical error that our many watchdogs for separation of church and state let that one slip though. The only religion that is allowed in todays school is the religion of bigger government.