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December Dilemma
David Kahan
San Diego State University
Come December it’s often tempting to provide special content that is holiday themed or to infuse our regular content with holiday touches.But in doing so, are we including some children and excluding others? More pointedly, are we in compliance with constitutional law regarding separation of church and state?
To answer some questions concerning this time of the year, the following Q&A is provided as abstracted from: Anti-Defamation League (2001). Religion in the public schools: Guidelines for a growing and changing phenomenon.New York: Author.[Available at www.adl.org
Q: I’ve heard that I can teach about a holiday to students but not celebrate it in the context of the class?
A: True. You may teach about religion, but you may not teach religion.Teaching about a holiday is constitutional if it furthers a genuine secular educational goal, is presented objectively, and does not promote or inhibit the free practice of religion by students.
Q: Is it permissible to decorate my gymnasium with holiday scenes and symbols?
A: It depends.Religious symbols that have retained their religious significance (e.g., crèches, menorahs) may be used as teaching aids but may not be used as decorations.Symbols that have attained secular status in that they convey a seasonal mood (e.g., snowmen, candy canes) may be used, however attention must be paid to whether children whose beliefs and practices differ from what decorations promote are made to feel excluded or inferior.
Q: May religious music, art, literature or drama be used in teaching about the holidays?
A: Yes.Provided that the content does not endorse a particular religion (i.e., a variety of material representing many traditions should be presented), relates to the educational goals of a lesson or unit, and is presented in a religiously neutral, prudent, and objective manner, then such content is welcome in the curriculum.
Q: What should I do if a student does not want to participate in a holiday-themed lesson or misses class because of a religious holiday?
A:Students, whose beliefs conflict with religious content, should be excused from participation, not labeled or stigmatized for doing so, and be offered a reasonable assignment in lieu of the lesson s/he is sitting out. Upon returning from a religious-related absence, students must be given a reasonable opportunity to make up assigned work without penalty and without threat of having to make a choice between his or her religion and school.
Q: It’s so hard to keep up with all of my students’ different religious observances.Is there some place I can go to easily access such information?
A: There are web sites one can access with a basic search term string that includes “religious holidays and calendar.”One that I’ve found useful is a for-profit company’s www.capstone-press.com/r_connectioncalendar.cfm?y=2002&m=12 site that includes calendars for each month, identifying day-by-day holidays, birthdays, and commemorations as well as links to resources they sell that delve into particular holidays in greater detail.