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Religious Holidays in the Public Schools: Questions and Answers Since 1776 the United States had grown from a nation of relatively few religious differences to one of countless religious groups. This expanding pluralism challenges the public schools to deal creatively and sensitively with students professing many religions or none. The following questions and answers concern religious holidays and public education, a subject often marked by confusion and conflict. Teachers and school officials, as well as parents and students, should approach this discussion as an opportunity to work cooperatively for the sake of good education rather than at cross-purposes. School districts developing guidelines about religious holidays will want to base their policies in the shared commitment of respect for individuals' religious beliefs expressed in the constitutional guarantee of religious liberty. This means that public schools may neither promote nor inhibit religious belief or non-belief. Drafters of such guidelines also will want to take account of the role of religion in history and cultures. Awareness of legal issues is essential in considering religion and public education, but the law does not supply answers to every question. Within the current legal framework, schools- their boards, administrators, teachers, parents and students- must make many practical decisions regarding religious holidays. This work can be done only by showing sensitivity to the needs of every student and a willingness to steer a course between the avoidance of all references to religion on one hand and the promotion of religion on the other. Q. What do the courts say? A. The Supreme Court has ruled that public schools may not sponsor religious practices (Engel v. Vitale, 1962; Abington v. Schempp, 1963) but may teach about religion. While having made no definitive ruling on religious holidays in the school, the Supreme Court let stand a lower federal court decision stating that recognition of holidays may be constitutional if the purpose is to provide secular instruction about religious traditions rather than to promote the religion involved (Florey v. Sioux Falls School District, 8th Cir., 1980).* Q. Do religious holidays belong in the curriculum? A. The study of religious holidays may be included in elementary and secondary curricula as opportunities for teaching about religions. Such study serves the academic goals of educating students about history and cultures, as well as the traditions of particular religions within a pluralistic society. Q. When should teaching about religious holidays take place? A. On the elementary level, natural opportunities arise for discussion of religious holidays while studying different cultures and communities. In the secondary curriculum, students of world history or literature have opportunities to consider the holy days of religious traditions. Teachers find it helpful when they are provided with an inclusive calendar noting major religious and secular holidays with brief descriptions of their significance. Q. How should religious holidays be treated in the classroom? A. Teachers must be alert to the distinction between teaching about religious holidays, which is permissible, and celebrating religious holidays, which is not. Recognition of and information about holidays may focus on how and when they are celebrated, their origins, histories and generally agreed-upon meanings. If the approach is objective and sensitive, neither promoting nor inhibiting religion, this study can foster understanding and mutual respect for differences in belief. Teachers will want to avoid asking students to explain their beliefs and customs. An offer to do so should be treated with courtesy and accepted or rejected depending upon the education relevancy. Teachers may not use the study of religious holidays as an opportunity to proselytize or to inject personal religious beliefs into the discussions. Teachers can avoid this by teaching through attribution, i.e., by reporting that "some Buddhists believe ... ." Q. May religious symbols be used in public school classes? A. The use of religious symbols, provided they are used only as examples of cultural and religious heritage, is permissible as a teaching aid or resource. Religious symbols may be displayed only on a temporary basis as part of the academic program. Students may choose to create artwork with religious symbols, but teachers should not encourage or discourage such creations. Q. May religious music be used in public schools? A. Sacred music may be sung or played as part of the academic study of music. School concerts that present a variety of selections may include religious music. Concerts should avoid programs dominated by religious music, especially when these coincide with a particular religious holiday. The use of art, drama or literature with religious themes also is permissible if it serves a sound educational goal in the curriculum but not if used as a vehicle for promoting religious belief. Q. What about Christmas? A. Decisions about what to do in December should begin with the understanding that public schools may not sponsor religious devotions or celebrations; study about religious holidays does not extend to religious worship or practice. Does this mean that all seasonal activities must be banned from the schools? Probably not, and in any event such an effort would be unrealistic. The resolution would seem to lie in devising holiday programs that serve an educational purpose for all students--programs that make no students feel excluded or identified with a religion not their own. Holiday concerts in December may appropriately include music related to Christmas and Hanukkah, but religious music should not dominate. Any dramatic productions should emphasize the cultural aspects of the holidays. Nativity pageants or plays portraying the Hanukkah miracle are not appropriate in the public school setting. In short, while recognizing the holiday season, none of the school activities in December should have the purpose, or effect, of promoting or inhibiting religion. Q. What about religious objections to some holidays? A. Students from certain religious traditions may ask to be excused from classroom discussions or activities related to particular holidays. Some holidays considered by many people to be secular (for example, Halloween and Valentine's Day) are viewed by others as having religious overtones. Excusal requests may be especially common in the elementary grades, where holidays often are marked by parties and similar non-academic activities. Such requests are routinely granted. In addition, some parents and students may make requests for excusals from discussions of certain holidays even when treated from an academic perspective. If focused on a limited, specific discussion, such requests may be granted in order to strike a balance between the student's religious freedom and the school's interest in providing a well-rounded education. Administrators and teachers should understand that a policy or practice of excusing students from a specific activity or discussion cannot be used as a rationale for school sponsorship of religious celebrations or worship for the remaining students. Q. May students be absent for religious holidays? A. Sensitive school policy on absences will take account of the religious needs and requirements of students. Students should be allowed a reasonable number of excused absences, without penalties, to observe religious holidays within their traditions. Students may be asked to complete makeup assignments or examinations in conjunction with such absences. Q. What steps should districts take? A. In a pluralistic society, public schools are places for persons of all faiths or none. Schools may neither promote nor denigrate any religion. In order to respect religious liberty and advance education, we recommend that each school district take the following steps:
For further assistance and materials, contact the sponsoring organization listed below. Note * In Lynch v.Donnelly, 1984, and County of Allegheny v. ACLU, 1989, the Supreme Court upheld some holiday displays and struck down others, but neither decision addresses the issue of recognizing or teaching about religious holidays in the public schools. Religious Holidays in the Public Schools: Questions and Answers is sponsored jointly by: American Academy of Religion American Association of School Administrators American Federation of Teachers American Jewish Committee Americans United Research Foundation Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Baptist Joint Committee Christian Legal Society The Islamic Society of North America National Association of Evangelicals National Conference of Christians and Jews National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. National Council on Religion and Public Education National Council for the Social Studies National Education Association National School Boards Association |