Schools weigh sacred, secular

    In the Greece NY school district, "O Come, All Ye Faithful" is a no-no but "Silent Night" is OK.

    The fine line between the two Christmas carols is one that school board members walked Oct. 11, when they voted 5-4 to adopt a resolution that clarified and somewhat loosened their policy regarding religious observances and holidays.

    "The board was kind of interested in reversing the pendulum that had swung all the way to 'you could have winter scenes (but) you could not have Santa Claus or Christmas,'" said school board President Ken Walsh.

    Greece is one of many school districts that continue to deal with the challenge of balancing First Amendment concerns with the feelings of those who say holidays such as Christmas have been robbed of their religious significance.

    The goal that school officials are striving to achieve, according to a random survey of suburban districts

    "Some selections, those in which the text particularly implies or encourages worship, would not be appropriate in school settings," she said in her memo and gave "O Come, All Ye Faithful," as an example. However, "Silent Night," because it is "descriptive in nature and doesn't request a particular religious behavior," would be acceptable with the educational text, she said.

    Officials also made a distinction between "what was Christmas and what was religious," Walsh said. "Christmas trees, Santa Claus and things associated with the national holiday of Christmas were OK. What was not allowed was religious symbols" unless they were used in teaching situations.