It's the same where I live. Winter break for the public schools is always over Christmas, and Spring Break is always over Easter. I remember when I was younger we could call it "Christmas break" and "Easter break" but that came to an end pretty quickly! I also remember as a young child making Christmas themed crafts in school (Santa, for example), which from what I understand, doesn't happen now.Quote:
Originally Posted by shygrneyzs
So, to answer the original question, since public schools do not actually celebrate Christmas (well, perhaps some do, but they aren't supposed to), no, other religious holidays should not be celebrated either. Private schools are up to the decisions of the board members - if you are Jewish you probably wouldn't enroll your kid in Catholic school and get ticked off they won't let you observe Yom Kippur, right? Public schools should, however, promote tolerance and acceptance of other cultures, which means excused absences for religious holidays, or, if the population demands it, certain dietary observances where needed.
It does get touchy since winter breaks are always over Christmas, and Easter is almost always over spring break, but is that really considered the school "celebrating" the holiday? Both are federal holidays here, so perhaps if religious groups want equality for their respective holidays they should put pressure on the government to recognize them as federal holidays. Boy, wouldn't THAT be interesting!