The guidelines affirm that while teachers may not encourage or join in students’ religious activity, the school’s official religious neutrality requires that:

“Teachers and administrators are also prohibited from discouraging activity because of its religious content, and from soliciting or encouraging antireligious activity.”

In addition to allowing student religious expression, the law is clear – on federal and state level as well as in courts – that teachers may teach in historical context the biblical origin of Christmas, just as they may teach that Chanukah celebrates the victory of the Maccabees and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple.

As for Christmas carols, not only have courts ruled consistently that they may be sung in public school programs, but teachers who neglect religious-themed music limit themselves and their students not only quantitatively, but qualitatively. Carols, spiritual anthems and choruses are among the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.

That first year, when I asked the principal why Christmas carols had not been included, she said, “Well, there were – Jingle Bells, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. . . .”

“But those aren’t Christmas carols,” I said.  “What about the birth of Jesus?” 

She looked at me like I’d gone mad.  That a parent might suggest singing songs about Christ at Christmas!

“You know, I understand we’re trying for multiculturalism,” I forged on, “But we’re part of the culture too. What about representing us?”

Today, our family lives in Virginia, where the phrase “In God We Trust” is posted in every public school because it’s required by law, and where educators seem to have a better grasp of what is legally permissible and what is not.

Still, there are always threats to our freedom. I remember waiting after one middle school event to shake the principal’s hand and express my gratitude. A very tall, very unhappy looking father got to her first and began berating her for a biblical reference he noticed in his son’s literature class. I saw her confident, generous smile fade and her shoulders sag. Out of 1200 families at that school, this one angry man might in the end have the most impact.  Sure enough, the Spring Concert at that school – for the first time – was completely secular. 

Since then, I’ve made it a point to befriend this principal, sharing the information she needs to counter this tyranny of the minority and rejoicing to see the school shift back to religious inclusion. But I’m just one individual. While I have more impact than most with my large family spread among several schools, I still feel very much like the Dutch boy sticking his finger in the dike.

When we see signs of Christian history, art, music, and culture wane, what we need to understand is that it’s not anyone’s fault but our own. Legislators and courts have already done their part to uphold religious freedom. The question is: Have we done ours?