Friday, November 28, 2014

Lone Complaint = No Christmas Break at Mass. School

After only one parent objected to the Marshfield, Massachusetts school calendar including the words "Christmas Break," this past September the school board voted 3-2 to rename it "Winter Break" in order to be "inclusive."  Since then, over 4,200 residents petitioned a reversal of that decision, so this week, the board repeated the same vote in front of a large audience of Christmas supporters.
“Christmas is the celebration of the birth of baby, a message of peace. … Does that offend you? Does the birth of a baby offend you? Christmas is significant. It’s what the people of Marshfield want on their calendar.”
-- Elaine Taylor, resident, speaking at the board meeting
For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Muslims in Washington, D.C. Force Christmas Off School Calendar

California Teacher Says Jesus Not Allowed in Christmas

Christmas Music Banned in New Jersey School

Christmas Music at School is a 'Form of Bullying'

Massachusetts School Edits God from Song 'God Bless the USA'

Massachusetts School Blesses Gay Agenda God, Lesbian Mary

Muslim Holiday Celebrated at Massachusetts Schools

Massachusetts Students Forced To Learn Muslim Conversion

-- From "Marshfield schools upholds change from 'Christmas Vacation' to 'Holiday Break'" by Jessica Trufant, Burlington (Massachusetts) Union 11/25/14

Resident Elaine Taylor on Nov. 10 submitted a petition asking that the school committee further discuss its Sept. 9 vote and consider reversing it. That vote was 3-2, with members Dennis Scollins and Richard Greer voting against it. The vote remained the same Monday night.

Marshfield boards are required to schedule a meeting to discuss a specific topic if a petition signed by at least 25 registered voters is submitted to the town clerk. The town charter requires that the meeting take place within two weeks of the petition’s filing.

. . . using history to argue in favor of “Christmas vacation” student James Pavlik Jr. said [at the board meeting], “The First Amendment was to protect the church from the government, not the government from the church.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Marshfield Christmas Vacation petition surpasses 2,000 signatures" by Lisa Kashinsky, Beverly (Massachusetts) Citizen 11/4/14

Residents, including Elaine Taylor, were collecting signatures on Tuesday, Nov. 4, to add to a petition that had 750 at the beginning of the day. The petition calls for the School Committee to reconsider its September decision to change the name of December’s break to Holiday Break from Christmas Vacation.

. . . at the committee’s Oct. 14 meeting, seven residents spoke during public comment asking the committee to return Christmas to the break’s name. Taylor brought forth her initial petition with 443 signatures asking to restore "Christmas Vacation" to the district’s calendar.

Taylor said she was disappointed that the School Committee decided not to vote again on the issue.

"They just totally disregarded 443 signatures," she said, adding, "I don’t think there was respect for the people that were there and the people who signed petitions."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Bring back Christmas: Marshfield residents miffed about vacation name change" by Laurel J. Sweet, Boston Herald 11/24/14


“There are signs all over town: ‘There’s Still a Christmas,’ ‘Bring Back Christmas.’ There’s some little kids in town picking up on this and wondering if Santa is going to come to their house,” said attorney Dennis Scollins, the Marshfield School Committee’s longest-serving member and one of two who stood up for St. Nick when the board voted 3-2 on Sept. 9 to replace “Christmas” with “holiday” for the Dec. 24 to Jan. 2 vacation.

In a heavily Irish Catholic town, [Board chairwoman Marti] Morrison said, “The world around us looks very different than Marshfield. We want our students to be open to differences.”

Pro-“holiday” voter Carol Shrand, the board’s vice-chair, said, “This is really about using inclusive language that reflects the diversity of faiths here in Marshfield. We take an oath to serve all our students and each and every one of them needs to feel welcome, included and represented.”

“I’m getting an overwhelmingly supportive response everywhere I go,” [resident Elaine] Taylor said. “I’m an American. I love my country. I want to keep the values that my country and the town were founded on.”

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

And also read about the rebellion against Christmas by secularists, including by President Obama.