Boys and girls who attend the Nichols Elementary School “Winter Party” will not be able to make any reference to Christmas or any other religious holiday. Christmas trees are also banned – along with the colors red and green.
The rules were sent to parents in an email from the school’s PTA and first reported on by MyFoxDFW.com
“When Gov. Perry signed ‘The Merry Christmas Bill,’ clearly that didn’t solve the issue,” he said. “The battle rages on. It’s distressing.”Ironically, the school is located in the district of state Rep. Pat Fallon, the author of a bill signed into law in June that codifies the fact that students and staff are permitted to discuss winter holidays as they please.
Fallon tells me he was alerted by an angry parent.
The school district released a statement to MyFoxDFW.com.
“The school was unaware of this and it was not an official PTA correspondence either. There have never been any limitations on what students wear, what they bring to share with their classmates on party days … what greetings people exchange with each other.”
But Fallon said contrary to the school district’s statement, the ban remains in place. He also said he spoke to the superintendent and learned that the school district was letting principals set their own policies regarding holiday celebrations.
“That leads to confusion, misinterpretation and flaunting of the law,” he said.
Fallon said the ban on Christmas trees and traditional holiday colors remains in place and calls it “unnecessary, inappropriate, and quite frankly draconian in nature.”
However, after a meeting between the principal and the PTA, the school decided to keep the draconian rules in place.
“She [the principal] said they didn’t want to offend any families and since each family donates money they feel this is the best policy,” read an email sent to the lawmaker.
What about all the families who might be offended by not being able to call Christmas, Christmas?
From Fox
