ArchivedSchool carol beef interests ACLU, religious grouphttp://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,141 ... 18,00.html
School carol beef interests ACLU, religious group
Elbert holiday show irks Jewish couple
By J. Sebastian Sinisi
Denver Post Staff Writer
The Elbert County Charter School's Christmas program will go on, despite a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union asking the school to "take immediate steps to comply with the constitutional separation of church and state."
A Nov. 10 letter from the Anti- Defamation League and the ACLU to Elbert Charter principal Les Gray charged that a pro- Christian climate at the school causes Jewish students to "no longer feel safe or welcome there."
On Oct. 29, parents Alex and Sydney Rubin demanded that Gray take all the traditional Christmas songs - including secular songs such as "Frosty the Snowman" and "Jingle Bells" - out of the upcoming holiday program, according to Denver attorney Barry Arrington.
Arrington works with the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, which has taken an interest in the case. The 10-year-old alliance deals with "the legal battle for religious liberty and traditional family values," according to a press release.
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When Gray refused to change the program, the Rubins withdrew their two daughters from the school, which is attended by 327 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The Rubins enrolled their daughters in another public school.
The ACLU letter also said the school showed a creationism video last year that said "the only way to be saved from the next flood is to accept Jesus Christ as your savior."
Gray said the creation video was shown to demonstrate that evolution is one theory among many. A substitute teacher did not stop the video as she was supposed to before the pro-Christian message, he said.
"We acknowledged our error and have not shown that video again," said Gray.
Arrington said the ACLU and the Anti-Defamation League are trying to bully the school into "censoring Christmas." He also charged both groups with having an "anti-religion agenda."
The groups deny that.
"To say we're anti-religion is so counter to what the ACLU and ADL stand for that it's ridiculous," said Bruce DeBoski, regional director for the Mountain States office of the Anti-Defamation League in Denver.
"We're not trying to censor anybody," DeBoski said. "We support religious liberty for everyone. But we don't want tax money used to promote any one religion. If this were a private school, they'd never hear from us."
Sydney Rubin, the girls' mother, said "the ADL version is correct," and declined to comment further.
Arrington said the Rubins wanted the holiday program, scheduled for Dec. 11, to be inclusive.
"I'm disturbed by the allegation that their children didn't feel safe, because it carries a veiled threat of anti-Semitism in the school," he said.
The Christmas program, to be presented in the Elizabeth Middle School auditorium, will include at least two Hanukkah songs in a mix of about a dozen secular Christmas songs of the "Rudolf" and "Jingle Bells" variety, Gray said, along with six traditional religious carols.
"The parents are nice people and I respect their decision," said Gray. "My beef is with big groups that throw their weight around and step on other peoples' constitutional rights."
This is ridiculous! The parents didn't get their way, so like whiney children, they pulled their kids out of the school? They accuse the school of discriminating against Jews, yet they practice the same discrimination against Christians?!
Does this make sense to any of you?!
Sheesh! Whiney cry babies!! :roll:
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