Double Click To Enlarge Image.An Editorial By Tim Enloe; Accessmilton.com
Every kid enjoys time off from school. To experience days that last forever is a precious gift of youth.
I was lucky enough to enjoy that place in my life. The intense desire for Summer to begin was always present and what child didn't look forward to Christmas break? Er..., I mean "Winter Break." At least, that's what the Fulton
County Board of Education has been calling it over the last ten years or
so.=>
County Board of Education has been calling it over the last ten years or
so.=>
Under this ideology , a concoction of public school with a side of Christianity evolved to a beverage not to be chosen. "No 'Christmas Tree' here but we'd love to show you our 'Holiday Tree'!" the powers that be exclaimed. Eventually, the issue of religion within public schools became so toxic that all references were scraped; adopting a zero tolerance policy. Forget the soup; NO TREE FOR YOU!
Recently, a Birmingham Falls Elementary periodical came across my desk. Dated August 26, 2010, this issue of the "Inside Scoop" Bi-weekly newsletter covered everything from birthday announcements to sneakers being the
recommended daily foot wear to a special coming up section titled "Looking Forward."
recommended daily foot wear to a special coming up section titled "Looking Forward."
So what is going on at Milton's newest elementary school this September? Well,let's see... a volunteer training class is coming up on the 1st...there's a PTA meeting on the 7th..oh, and don't forget that the first day of Rosh Hashana is on the 9th and the first day of Eid al-Fitr is the following Friday, September 10th...Whoa! Put the Accessmilton horse in stop position! 'Rosh Hashana?' 'Eid al-Fitr?' Must be synonyms for new math. - STOP! Google Time!
'Rosh Hashana' - is a Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the "Jewish New Year."
Source=> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah
'Eid al-Fitr' - is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
Source=> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr
To view this newsletter in it's entirity, click here=>
http://www.fultonschools.org/school/birmingham/PrincipalsNewsletters/InsideScoopAugust26.pdf
Source=> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah
'Eid al-Fitr' - is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
Source=> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr
To view this newsletter in it's entirity, click here=>
http://www.fultonschools.org/school/birmingham/PrincipalsNewsletters/InsideScoopAugust26.pdf
***BREAKING NEWS NOTE: This newsletter NOW includes a reference to 9-11; yet prior to the firestorm of inquiries and AFTER it was sent out to parents and released; this newsletter read exactly as you see in the picture above with no reference of Patriot Day or 9-11!!!! Could this be due to our contacting the nationally syndicated Herman Cain Show earlier today????***
14 comments:
reHey, why haven't you posted anything about Damon Jones. More employees like him still in Milton
Or ex-councilmen!
Shalom :)
Tim - i think you are mixing up your controversies. Or maybe I am missing the point? A couple of comments - maybe you can clarify for me...
It would be one thing if you had a newsletter calendar that covered a slightly larger period of time and they made reference to a Jewish and Muslim holiday but then, say, skipped Easter. But that's not the case here. You arguing that because they skipped Patriot Day they are whitewashing out Christianity and somehow creating a "double standard"? I don’t see it. More than likely the person putting it together just wasn't aware there was on official day but even if that is not the case - Patriot Day is not a religious recognition so it's Oranges to Rosh Hashanah's Matza.
Maybe the Fulton County calendar no longer calls winter break Christmas break - but I will bet money that the local school newsletters around Milton / Alpharetta all mention the holiday date in their newsletters (I can't find any lying around or I would look now).
While at some levels of the school system there may be some folks that want to avoid overtly referring to Christmas, I will tell you that in the 9 years we have lived here in Milton, there have been ample Christmas trees displayed at all the schools and no one is telling the kids to not outwardly celebrate any holiday.
I welcome you to come to the Milton Holiday chorus concert this year (in fact any of the schools holiday concerts). I think you will be quite happy with the music selections. I think 3/4 of the music sung at last year’s concert were Christian based songs.
But all that said, the country is evolving from a strictly Christian based society to one of many religions. As we move into this new territory there will be some mistakes made in the name of caution/political correctness etc...but in the end I am sure we will survive - even with a couple less Christmas trees in our midst! I don't look to the government / public schools to teach my kids about Christianity so if they want to drop any reference for whatever reasons I am not going to lose any sleep. I have the kids more than they do and have ample opportunity to educate them in this area.
You all probably now are under the impression that I am a bed wetting liberal :-) At least I don't think I am! I just don't like to mix religion and politics, it diverts attention from the real issues with the evolving elite political class!
Karl H
Karl:
Your thoughts on the topics affected both our city and country are always welcome.
Tim Enloe
Accessmilton.com
770 653 0552
Thank you Karl, you are so right on. Thank you!
L'Shana Tova. And, Shalom Aleichem :), I will wish you a Merry Christmas too even if I do not celebrate the holiday the way you might celebrate it.
Live and let live.... With Freedom and in Peace.
Public schools should not be publicating every religious holiday under the sun. Furthermore, only Federal Holidays should be recognized on school calendars, newsletters, websites etc. Having said that December 25 is a Federal Holiday, written into Law in 1870 by the Congress and President Ulysses S.Grant. Remember when people reconized that even though America is diverse, it was founded and predominantly always Christain, as it is today, no matter what the Commander in Chief believes.
Listen they are going to build a mosque at ground zero people, do you think any one cares that a muslim holiday was put in an elementary school newsletter and the anniversary of 9/11 was skipped over? Don't you realize the country has changed and it is no longer American to be Patriotic nor a Christian? It's all about tolerance baby, tolerance and extreme sensitivity to everyone but those who are the same basic religion of the Founders of this Nation, or tolerant to those who are proud to be an American and the accomplishments of our nation. It is popular to bash America to other nations, and apologize now, don't you get it??
Even the former Principal didn't mention the Muslim Holiday the day before 9/11, I'll give him credit for that common sense! Is this school out of the frying pan and into the fire? He did however put all of the fun party holidays in! Yee Hah!
1PM...I would argue that a school newsletter can publish anything it wants. If the folks putting it together and approving contents think it would be cool to point out some new holidays that kids and parents might not know - who's to say they can't do that? There are not rules about listing "Federal Holidays" only in the school newsletter guidebook as far as I know :-). Leaving Patriot Day off the newsletter may or may not have been deliberate so unless you know for sure the "motive" is not up for debate - agreed?
1:21pm - Mabye switch the channel to CNN for at least a couple of hours a week :-) You're getting roped into by Hannity's 3 hours a day of non-stop worrying (or you will do like I did and buy a bunch of gold and dig a bomb shelter in your basement :-) )....I don't know about the rest of you but I have yet to have someone tell me I am not an American or patriotic because I was raised Christian. If they did I'd just pop them in the nose and hire a good Jewish lawyer to defend me! With the internet allowing any yahoo with a keyboard to sound off like they represent some vast majority (our pal Tim excluded here of course), and a couple of, soon to be extinct, newspapers up in NY and DC still clinging to a tired refrain...it sometimes seems like we should walk around on eggshells. But unless you live in San Francisco or Barney Frank's little district in the Berkshires (I did for 1 year!!), I think you will all agree that we are still about as free as ever to practice our religions and say what we want to say.
It's my personal opinion only of course but, just like my teenage kids stubborn refusal to act like they have a brain at times, that this little "phase" that we are going through with political correctness will pass. It's silly, and the vast majority of people see it as such, it just takes awhile to shake of the complacency and put a stop to it. In the meantime - just like with our brain dramaged teens, we need to keep thinking positive thoughts, avoid judging, and for God's sake - be civil on these blogs!!!
Peace out
Karl
I think most Americans in this country have not forgotten and would have more likely put Patriot Day in the newsletter than searching to find out when the celebration of EdalFitr was. Call me UnAmerican for thinking so.
If Federal Holidays shouldn't be in the schools either then let's just get rid of everything and don't teach our kids about American history either!!
CNN doesn't report truth, unless they are reporting on a Hurricane, so no thanks.
It's not a phase, nor a phad. It is ruining our country though, and putting everyone against eachother.
Divide and Conquer.
But it isn't the sole discretion of who is ever running the school newsletter or typing the info to determine what is appropriate or not, a public school has to follow whatever their county dictates. No one should be inserting info which would potentially put the county at risk for any law suit, which is probably why it is called winter break and spring break on their calendars. If the county and stAte recognize federal holidays as a rule, than they are bound to recognize December 25, because it is correct it is the only religious federal holiday. It was made so back when our leaders recognized Christianity as the leading faith that bound the country together, united.
No, I think it was an oversight that you jumped on like a vulture is all this is. How is your blood pressure lately? Is this working for you? Peace out brother.
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