Under pressure from atheist lawyers, school administrators in Wausau, Wisconsin distributed a legal opinion concerning "winter concert" music selections that limited traditional Christian songs and hymns; also, the elementary schools canceled seasonal concerts entirely. In response, hundreds of taxpaying residents packed a special Wausau School Board meeting demanding that Christmas be put back into the "holiday season."
For background, read Nativity Banned at Florida School by Obama Dept. of Education and also read Christmas Music at School is a 'Form of Bullying' as well as Texas Law Tells Schools to Ignore Atheist Threats Against Christmas
In addition, read Atheists Threaten to Sue Every School in Mississippi but admit they're Short on Lawyers to Sue ALL Christians
-- From "Packed crowd fights Wausau religious-music rules" by Keith Uhlig, Daily Herald Media (Wausau, WI) 10/11/13
Even before dozens of residents stood to speak, the board voted to put the decision about whether to schedule winter concerts back in the hands of school principals. Wausau elementary schools had canceled holiday concerts, and the school district administration said the decision was related to the need for state-test preparations — not to avoid issues with religious songs.
Board members also backed away from administrative efforts to update the district’s rules on the performance of sacred music, and voted to revert to an older policy in which principals reviewed song lists of performances. The School Board also voted to forge out a new policy in the next year, with input from the community.
For many in the crowd, the limits placed on Master Singers choir director Phil Buch were an attack on Christianity and people of faith. “I think it’s time to take a stand for the majority,” said Bruce Trueblood of Wausau.
D.C. Everest Area School District music teacher Julie Burgess said that sacred music is an integral part of choral history. “Excluding sacred music would mean that students would get an incomplete education,” she said.
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From "Wausau School Board members, Master Singers react to limit on religious music" by Katie Hoffman, Daily Herald Media (Wisconsin Rapids Tribune) 10/5/13
Phil Buch has directed Wausau West High School’s choir programs since 1981. According to the Daily Herald Media report, Buch made the decision to temporarily disband the Master Singers, an elite high school group, after a Thursday meeting with district officials.
Buch said district administrators gave music educators at Wausau schools three options for December concerts, which typically contain a significant amount of religious music: choose five secular, or non-religious, songs for each religious song performed; hold a concert and have no holiday music; or postpone any concerts in December.
Elementary school holiday concerts have been pushed to the spring.
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From "Wausau School District limits religious music" by WAOW posted at WQOW-TV18 (Eau Claire, WI) 10/7/13
. . . school attorneys say celebrating Christmas through Christmas caroling isn't allowed, so the music committee has proposed two options. One, the Master Singers program could include no religious songs, or two, the group could change the theme of the winter performance entirely.
As part of changing the theme, school attorneys told the committee the program could include "one religiously-themed Christmas selection along with four other varied selections, which reflected themes from religious, secular, or cultural traditions," according to the district statement. However, this was meant only as an example and not as a policy, district leaders said.
But some school board members say they're upset they haven't been involved in this decision. "It angers me, it frustrates me that for some unknown reason that administration took it upon themselves to make what really boils down to a very significant policy determination without bringing it to the board," said Wausau School Board member Pat McKee. But district leaders say the school board hasn't been involved in this issue for more than a decade.
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From "Advocacy groups weigh in on Wausau Schools music issues" by Larry Lee, WSAU Radio (Wausau, WI) 10/10/13
Rory Gray from the Alliance Defending Freedom says they support defend religious liberty, right to life, and marriage and family issues. Gray says a Wausau parent contacted them. “We were actually contacted by a mother who’s opposed to the new policy, and we were also called by the Family Policy Council in Wisconsin about this issue to get some legal advice, and so we decided to send a letter to the school board why the new practice is really not a good idea and is completely unnecessary.” He says schools across America play religious music in their curriculum, because it’s part of culture and history, and because many great works of music had religious themes. “Courts have uniformly approved having those in public schools, so we were rather concerned and confused as to why the district thought that was an issue.”
Gray says the Wausau situation is unlike anything he has seen before. “Honestly, I can’t remember a lawsuit ever being filed over this sort of thing, just because the courts have been so unanimously supportive of including religious music in school choir performances.” He says this is concerning because there was nobody from outside raising an issue, yet the district basicly made it impossible to hold holiday concerts for no apparent reason. The Wisconsin Family Action President Julaine Appling agrees with Gray, but says this has stirred up interest from legal groups from both sides of the issue. . . .
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Because of the intimidation tactics of atheist lawyer organizations, state governments across America are educating its citizens on constitutional religious liberty by passing laws in Texas, and Louisiana, and North Carolina, and South Carolina, and Missouri, and Mississippi, and Florida, and Tennessee.
The root issue is American Religious Liberty vs. Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
