Christmas, Easter Jettisoned from Omaha Schools

School board member Paul Meyer received zero support from fellow board members in his effort to restore Christian holidays scratched from the calendar by administrators of the Millard School District of Omaha, Nebraska.  In fact, Meyer was forced to apologize after being lambasted in the local media for suggesting that Christmas-hating atheists can "crawl back into their hellhole."

“[I'm] a little bit tired of a minute minority in this country that keeps pushing Christmas out, keep pushing God out, keep pushing Christ out, when the majority is still a Judeo-Christian country. . . . I’m getting sick of these atheists trying to take over this country.”
-- Paul Meyer, Millard School District Board of Education

For background, read Texas School Supt. Tells Atheists to Go Fly a Kite

Also read Majority in U.S. Want Christmas Celebrated WITHIN Schools: Poll

Click headlines below to read previous articles:

Christmas Holiday OUT, Lunar New Year IN School Calendars

Atheists Help Liberal Schools in Oregon Ban Christmas Choirs

Kentucky School Censors 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' Play

Christmas Tree Flyer Censored by New Hampshire School Supt.

-- From "Effort to rename Millard Public Schools' winter break fails" by The Associated Press 3/22/16

Meyer was concerned that the calendar didn't place enough significance on the religious holiday.

Board President Mike Kennedy said he appreciated Meyer's position, but said he didn't believe the administration made an intentional effort to remove Christmas from the calendar.

None of the board members present - Kennedy, Mike Pate and Pat Ricketts - seconded Meyer's motion. The board then adopted the calendar on a 3-1 vote without specifying a name for the break. Meyer was the dissenting vote.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Millard school board member wants winter break called Christmas break, says atheists who disagree can 'crawl back into their hellhole'" by Joe Dejka, Omaha World-Herald staff writer 3/23/16

[Paul Meyer] expressed disappointment that the administration had not labeled the break on the calendar — Dec. 25, 2017, through Jan. 5, 2018 — as Christmas break.

“I would like to make a motion that we rename this period Christmas break, and those atheists who don’t like it can crawl back into their hellhole, because I, for one, will not put my Lord, my God, aside for a few atheists,” Meyer said. “And if they don’t like it, the ACLU doesn’t like it, the heck with them.”

“I do know, as a Catholic, I have no problem the way the calendar is,” [Board President Mike] Kennedy said. “I celebrate Christmas. I know other people on this board do too. People are free to celebrate what they want to believe.”

“I don’t think anyone’s trying to take away Christmas from any child,” he said.

[Board member Mike] Pate said he and fellow board member Ricketts recently raised the issue about why spring break is not aligned with the Easter holiday.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Schools often try to align spring break with Easter, but holiday's hopping around makes it a tricky feat" by Joe Dejka, Omaha World-Herald staff writer 3/22/16

Although they no longer call it Easter break, some Omaha area public school officials still schedule spring break to coincide with the Christian holy day.

Next year, with Easter occurring late in the school year, eight of the 12 districts will do so.

District administrators told the Millard board that in recent years they have scheduled spring break earlier to avoid the period of time when students take statewide math, reading and science tests. This year, the Nebraska State Accountability testing window runs from Monday through May 6.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Atheist groups decry 'hate speech' from Millard school board member who wants winter break called Christmas break" by Joe Dejka, Omaha World-Herald staff writer 3/23/16

[Paul] Meyer used “unprofessional and derogatory language” during the discussion, which amounted to “hate speech against a minority group,” according to a letter Amanda Novotny wrote Tuesday to the school board and the superintendent. She identified herself as the Nebraska director for American Atheists and the marketing director for Omaha Atheists.

[Paul Meyer] doesn’t hate them, he said. “What I hate is their sin.”

Meyer said he is Lutheran and said his father was a Lutheran minister. He said the country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and said he thinks it’s OK for public officials to express their religious beliefs.

“Definitely, I wish more did,” he said.

“This is just what it’s been throughout the ages,” he said. “It’s been considered Christmas break. Why do we even break at this time of the year? What is the purpose? This is why the break was even established, because of the Christmas holiday.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Millard school board member apologizes for controversial remarks about atheists" by Joe Dejka, Omaha World-Herald staff writer 3/24/16

In a letter to district staff, [Paul Meyer] wrote that after reflection he realized his comments “have been hurtful to many people.”

“This is not what I intended, and I am sorry,” he wrote.

Then Wednesday, Meyer said in a phone interview that he decided to apologize after reflecting on the situation.

“I don’t want to bring a bad light on the district,” he said.

Meyer was elected in 2012 to a four-year term. He is not running for re-election.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read Angry Muslims Storm New Jersey School Board Demanding Holidays

And read Loud Muslim Prayer: Takeover of Michigan Town