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Spokane (WA) school newsletter omits Christmas from December dates
The Daily News Online ^ | 11/30/07

Posted on 11/30/2007 1:41:35 PM PST by teacherwoes

SPOKANE, Wash. - They made a list, but they should have checked it twice.

In a December newsletter to the families of elementary school students, Spokane Public Schools' list of "important dates" didn't include Christmas.

Hanukkah, Human Rights Day, winter break, the Islamic holy day Eid al-Adha, first day of winter and Kwanzaa all made the list. But no Christmas.

"It was absolutely an error of omission," district spokeswoman Terren Roloff said. "In our efforts to be inclusive, we missed the obvious."

The omission drew complaints from some parents that in an age of political correctness, Christians are being overlooked in favor of other cultures and beliefs.

Greater Spokane Association of Evangelicals Executive Director John Tusant said the error surprised him.

"The stores have been decorated for the last month. How do you overlook that?" Tusant asked.

Hutton School parent Jane Harper noted the absence of Christmas but didn't think the omission was meant as a message to Christians.

"Christmas is so dominant in our society. I don't know that anyone should feel slighted," Harper said.

Roloff said the district would not have included Hanukkah and Eid al-Adha if it had intended to avoid religious celebrations. She said her office has been fielding calls about the newsletter from concerned parents, and that most have been understanding about the mix-up.

Spokane Public Schools has no policy barring Christmas references at school, and Christmas decorations are permitted. But Roloff said the holiday is not the district's focus.

"Our focus is education," she said.

The district's community relations department sent e-mails to school staff accepting responsibility for the "Bulletin Board" newsletter blunder and calling it "an honest, unfortunate mistake."

Christmas had been added to the "important dates" section of the online version of the school district's newsletter by Thursday afternoon.

Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesmanreview.com


TOPICS: Culture/Society; US: Washington
KEYWORDS: antichristmas; calendar; christmas; eidaladha; hanukkah; humanrightsday; kwanzaa; purge; spokane; waronchristmas; waronchristmas2007; winterbreak
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website is Spokane Schools
1 posted on 11/30/2007 1:41:37 PM PST by teacherwoes
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To: teacherwoes
"It was absolutely an error of omission," district spokeswoman Terren Roloff said. "In our efforts to be inclusive, we missed the obvious."

Yeah, right!

2 posted on 11/30/2007 1:45:06 PM PST by 50mm (Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist - G. Carlin)
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To: teacherwoes
"Our focus is education," she said.

...but we're too ignorant to remember the date of the Christmas holiday

3 posted on 11/30/2007 1:45:48 PM PST by madison10
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To: teacherwoes

I’m not as bothered by the fact that they missed Christmas as I am by the fact that included Kwaanza and other religious holidays.

Everyone knows when Christmas is. It’s a federal holiday, and nearly everyone gets the day off. (I heard that some Jewish-owned companies work on Christmas, which just seems strange to me.)

Wasn’t Kwaanza started by some rapist or something?


4 posted on 11/30/2007 1:49:17 PM PST by RussP
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To: Libertina; rahbert; luckymom; Paperdoll; gandalftb; acoulterfan; KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle; ...
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Say WA? Evergreen State ping

FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.

Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.

5 posted on 11/30/2007 1:50:33 PM PST by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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To: teacherwoes
Hanukkah, Human Rights Day, winter break, the Islamic holy day
Eid al-Adha, first day of winter and Kwanzaa all made the list.
But no Christmas.


Yeah, Hanukkah and Eid al-Adha aren't holidays associated with
particular religions.
So I guess it's right-thinking to even leave off the reason
we have an actual HolyDay celebration on Dec. 25th.
Because it is.

(/SARC!)
6 posted on 11/30/2007 1:50:50 PM PST by VOA
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To: SeaDragon

I am so glad I moved.


7 posted on 11/30/2007 1:51:41 PM PST by RikaStrom (The number one rule of the Kama Sutra is that you both be on the same page.../Exeter 051705)
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To: RussP
The TRUTH about Kwanzaa
8 posted on 11/30/2007 1:52:10 PM PST by sionnsar (trad-anglican.faithweb.com |Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
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To: RussP

“Wasn’t Kwaanza started by some rapist or something?”

It was some felon cab driver. I used to have the story saved, but can;t find it now.

If someone has “the story of Kwanza” please post. It’s jolly!


9 posted on 11/30/2007 1:52:39 PM PST by wilco200
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To: RussP

“Wasn’t Kwaanza started by some rapist or something?”

See linked story below (tip of the hat to David Horowitz/FrontPageMag).

Some time when I lived in Los Angeles (1995-2005), one of the free
“alternative” weekly new/advert papers did a story on him.
(The “alternative” papers were a MUCH better source of what was
really going on in LA than the LA Times!).
IIRC, the investigative reporter learned that the LA Times archival
copies of Karenga’s assault on two women have “gone missing”.

But he’s surely turned himself around. He’s probably banking over
$100K/yr as a department chairman at a state U.
(/SARC)

Seriously, he’s an example of why we should have universities and
tenure. To serve as ghettos where tenured revolutionaries grow indolent
and less dangerous with frequent faculty club “all you can eat”
caviar and champagne.

Too bad decent students have to suffer with guys like this though.

Ron Karenga
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=2222


10 posted on 11/30/2007 2:00:39 PM PST by VOA
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To: teacherwoes

Parents, pull your kids from that school and tell the administration you’ll return them when the calendar is corrected. If enough parents cause financial hardship for the district, they’ll listen.


11 posted on 11/30/2007 2:02:38 PM PST by Dr. Eckleburg ("I don't think they want my respect; I think they want my submission." - Flemming Rose)
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To: teacherwoes

“Christmas is so dominant in our society. I don’t know that anyone should feel slighted,” Harper said......Sure!


12 posted on 11/30/2007 2:07:24 PM PST by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: wilco200
"Dr. Karenga" the founder of kakawanza, in the late 60's, is a professor at a kalifornia univeristy. He founded kakawanza, after he graduated from the university of san quentin.

He is not as infamous as the two other black con men, but hey, they didn't invent their own holiday.

karenga believes he has scammed more blacks than sharpton, but admits to being a distant second the the black, hair-lipped, grifter in chief, jesse "hymetown" jackson.

13 posted on 11/30/2007 2:13:41 PM PST by USS Alaska (Nuke the terrorist savages - In Honor of Standing Wolf)
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To: madison10

Washington State Public School System!


14 posted on 11/30/2007 2:16:31 PM PST by captnorb
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To: teacherwoes

You can bet they wouldn’t miss putting the date Pproperty taxes were due on any calender.


15 posted on 11/30/2007 2:18:05 PM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (There once was a dream called, "Hippy Beat Down." The mere whisper of if caused cops to weep.)
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To: RikaStrom

Me too............


16 posted on 11/30/2007 2:26:49 PM PST by SeaDragon
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To: RussP
A bogus made up “holiday”. And including any muzzie cult date is an insult to civilization.
17 posted on 11/30/2007 2:43:15 PM PST by isrul
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To: sionnsar
From the link (thanks) you posted above:
Kwanzaa is the ultimate chump holiday -- Jim Crow with a false and festive wardrobe.
That pretty much says it all.
18 posted on 11/30/2007 3:19:22 PM PST by upchuck (Hildabeaste as Prez... unimaginable, devastating misery! She will redefine "How bad can it get?")
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To: teacherwoes
in an age of political correctness, Christians are being overlooked in favor of other cultures and beliefs.

Christians are not being overlooked; they're being disrespected, as is our Lord and Savior. May He forgive them for what they do.

19 posted on 11/30/2007 3:40:36 PM PST by MSSC6644 (Defeat Satan. Pray the Rosary)
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To: metmom; Tired of Taxes; DaveLoneRanger; Aquinasfan

It says much about public education that most people aren’t even surprised by things like this.

I thought The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was a fictional character. Looks like we found Another Reason To Homeschool.


20 posted on 11/30/2007 4:17:45 PM PST by Clintonfatigued (You can't be serious about national security unless you're serious about border security)
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