Santa ordered disrobed at 'holiday' event: 'Separation of church and state' cited

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Friday, December 24, 2004

[JohnHuang2]

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

A seventh-grade student who thought a Santa Claus outfit might add cheer to a "holiday" event at school was sadly mistaken when he was ordered to remove the red suit and white beard due, according to the principal, to concern about the so-called "separation of church and state."

Ho, ho, no

Bryan Lafond's costume at a Hampton Academy Junior High School dance in Hampton, N.H., last Friday was "inappropriate" for a dress-up dance, said Superintendent James Gaylord, who denied any connection to religious concerns, the Manchester Union-Leader reported.

But the academy's principal, Fred Muscara, told a Hampton newspaper, "It was a holiday party. It was not a Christmas party. There is a separation of church and state. We have a lot of students that go to Hampton Academy Junior High that have different religions. We have to be sensitive to that."

Nancy Serpis, chairman of the Hampton School Board, told the Manchester paper when asked about the costume, "It's nice if we can respect one another's religious beliefs."

"We try to be sensitive to everyone and in trying to do that, sometimes people feel excluded," she said.

Gaylord maintained barring the costume was not an act of political correctness but a violation of the dress code for the "dress-up" dance.

Lafond was told to go to a locker room to remove the Santa suit, but he left the building, creating a possible safety issue, said Gaylord.

The superintendent also was concerned the beard covering the student's face made it difficult to know who was behind it.

To Gaylord's knowledge, no other student wore a costume.

---

[Roots]

... heaven forbid that!... oh, did I say heaven? i meant to use some other non-offensive word :-)

[theoldmarine]

I sent the following email!!!!

Gaylord... What a politically correct idiot! No one would be offended by Santa Claus. But you have offended half the nation and hurt a little boy.
Why don’t you try wearing a clown costume from now on! If I were the parents I would be suing you for psychiatric evaluation, traumatization, and every kind of damages I could think of … What a pompous foo!

Merry Christmas

[mhking]

Hampton Academy Junior High School
Interim Principal Fred Muscara
Interim Assistant Principal  Lisa Alexander
Curriculum Facilitator Deborah Joyce
School Resource Officer Tom Linane

29 Academy Avenue
Hampton NH 03842
603.926.2000
FAX 603.926.1855

---

In researching contact information, I've found that the school is in the same school district as Seabrook HS, i.e., near the Seabrook Nuclear Plant. I wonder if the principal's nose glows....

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord." --Luke 2:10 & 11 (NIV)

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[mhking]

Hampton Academy Junior High School
Interim Principal Fred Muscara
Interim Assistant Principal  Lisa Alexander
Curriculum Facilitator Deborah Joyce
School Resource Officer Tom Linane

29 Academy Avenue
Hampton NH 03842
603.926.2000
FAX 603.926.1855

---

In researching contact information, I've found that the school is in the same school district as Seabrook HS, i.e., near the Seabrook Nuclear Plant. I wonder if the principal's nose glows....

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord." --Luke 2:10 & 11 (NIV)

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[kanawa]

....the academy's principal, Fred Muscara, told a Hampton newspaper, "It was a holiday party....There is a separation of church and state."

Think someone should explain to Fred the etymology of 'holiday'?

holiday = holy day

That would put his PC pea-brain in a spin.

[APFel]

"We try to be sensitive to everyone and in trying to do that, sometimes people feel excluded," she said.

... So the way to include people is to exclude others. Inclusion by exclusion. The logic is dizzying.

APf

[daddyOwe]

Yeah Me too. So on Halloween no more devil outfits. Satanism is a religion.

[gitmo]

You're reading the wrong Constitution. It is in Article 52 Section 2 of the Soviet Constitution:

Article 52 [Religion]

(2) In the USSR, the church is separated from the state, and the school from the church.

You just have to know what Constitution they are reading.

[SirLurkedalot]

That'd be some expensive TP. I'm a Charmin man myself.

[gitmo]

Forgot the link to the Soviet Constitution.

[rpellegrini]

When I hear about these incidents, I take the time to write the misguided adminstrators a letter, telling them that they are only helping to put another nail in the coffin of public education. The last one I wrote was to Charles Ridgell. He was the "educator" from Maryland’s public schools who banned all all reference to religion in Thanksgiving. Of course he wrote back and cited the law (typical!). But the point is they all need to be put on notice that they are serving to bring down their own system.

[SirLurkedalot]

got ashheap?

[Cvengr]

"It's nice if we can respect one another's religious beliefs."

i.e....provided, of course we can disrespect any allusion to Christiany...

[Cvengr]

Lafond was told to go to a locker room to remove the Santa suit, but he left the building, creating a possible safety issue, said Gaylord. The superintendent also was concerned the beard covering the student's face made it difficult to know who was behind it.

Maybe it was the real Santa Nicolas....

[GrammaLou]

What are these people smoking???

[cardinal4]

Is it me, or is there a lot more of these "hate xmas" stories than last year?

[shubi]

Santa means saint? Pretty slim, eh?

[geedee]

Nancy Serpis, chairman of the Hampton School Board, told the Manchester paper when asked about the costume, "It's nice if we can respect one another's religious beliefs." "We try to be sensitive to everyone and in trying to do that, sometimes people feel excluded," she said.

This always irritates the hell outta me. When us Christians are "dressed-down," it's being "sensitive" to those of other faiths. When Muslims are rebuked, it's discriminatory and being culturally "insensitive."

The Christian majority of this country is growing awfully tired of this nonsense. Somehow in this country it has become okay to discriminate in some cases . . . so long as the discrimination is directed toward Christians and/or Conservatives and/or a combination of the two.

Why do these highly-educated idiots think the 'ol U.S. of A. is the most successful and diverse country in the world? Because of their idiotic, liberal, nanny-state rules? Hardly. It's because Christians ARE SO SENSITIVE TO THOSE OF OTHER FAITHS. That's part of what being a Christian is.

So we're slammed for being Christians in the name of diversity when . . . WERE THE TRUTH REALLY TOLD . . . it's the fact that WE ARE Christians that has allowed us to successfully integrate so many of diverse backgrounds into the American Experience.

The Libbers do nothing but breed racial and religious discontent . . . then us Christians have to follow in their wake to make things better. It's maddening as hell.

[politicalwit]

This is the school district that gave the world one Ms. Pamela Smart. (The "media arts instructor" that had a couple of high school students kill her husband.)

[Fester Chugabrew]

I hope Santa was wearing red underwear.