Posted on 09/28/2007 7:23:53 PM PDT by Izzy Dunne
So long, Halloween parade. Farewell, Santa's gift shop.
The holiday traditions are facing elimination in some Oak Lawn schools this year after complaints that the activities are offensive, particularly to Muslim students.
Final decisions on which of the festivities will be axed will fall to the principals at each of Ridgeland School District 122's five schools, Supt. Tom Smyth said.
Parents expect that the announcement is going to add to the tension that has been building since officials agreed earlier this month to change the lunch menu to exclude items containing pork to accommodate Muslim students. News that Jell-O was struck from the menu caused such a stir that officials have agreed to bring it back. Gelatin is often made with tissue or bones of pigs or other animals.
That controversy now appears to have been been dwarfed by the holiday debate, which became so acrimonious Wednesday that police were called to Columbus Manor School to intervene in a shouting match among parents.
"It's difficult when you change the school's culture," said Columbus Manor Principal Sandy Robertson.
Elizabeth Zahdan, a mother of three District 122 students, says she took her concerns to the school board this month, not because she wanted to do away with the traditions, but rather to make them more inclusive. "I only wanted them modified to represent everyone," she said.
Nixing them isn't the response she was looking for. "Now the kids are not being educated about other people," she said.
There's just not time in the six-hour school day to celebrate every holiday, said Smyth, who sent the message to principals that they need to "tone down" the activities that he sees as eating too much into instructional time. "We have to think about our purpose," Smyth said. "Are we about teaching reading, writing and math or for parties or fund-raising during the day?"
Robertson is hoping to strike compromises that will keep traditions alive and be culturally acceptable to all students -- nearly half of whom are of Arab descent at Columbus Manor, she says. Fewer than a third of students districtwide are of Arab descent, according to Smyth.
Following the example of Lieb Elementary School, Columbus Manor School will exchange the annual Halloween parade for a fall festival next month. The holiday gift bazaars at both schools also will remain, but they'll likely be moved to the PTA-sponsored after-school winter festival. And Santa's annual visit probably will be on a Saturday.
Just wow. Super is 100% dhmmi.
Wow. What's going to happen when they find out about crayola crayons?
Where’s Mrs. O’Leary when you need her?
Oak Lawn was once a working class white Catholic community. With the young people moving out, it was for a time a greying town. Then the town became a magnet for Muslim immigrant. Some shopping plazas look like the Gaza strip.
For years, Some Christians have complained about Halloween being the Devil’s holiday. Schools have responsed by ignoring the Christian demands. If a school does stop Halloween parties, the ACLU will sue. Now that Muslims are complaining, the school yields to their demands. Will the ACLU sue? Also if the Muslims complain about the gay agenda and abortion clinics, will the PC crowd roll over for them?
When will they ban mooseslums for being OFFENSIVE to humanity?
Ignorant appeasers — they’ve got to realize that our very existence is offensive to Muslims.
They’re simply going to have to accept the fact we’re not going away...
If they can’t handle that, F’em.
It's an act of cowardice when you roll over and allow your enemies to change your country' culture
It's an act of cowardice when you roll over and allow your enemies to change your country's culture
Muslims. Move in. Take over.
I hate it when my fingers stutter .. just damn!
There’s no cure for this kind of stupidity.
I think they should do the honorable thing and beat themselves with whips or blow themselves up or something.
Just in time for Halloween would be nice.
Especially the Fourth of July.
I've often said that the difference was that ignorance is curable; stupidity isn't.
Mrs. O’Leary’s pig would work in this instance.
Maybe they’ll add some of those really neat Muslim traditions like self-flagellation (beating ones self across the back with chains) and cutting the scalp of even little kids to get a good bleed going.
I doubt there’s anyone in this school administration with enough backbone to deny it if the Muslims wanted it.
Sleeping with the Enemy.
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