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KY School District Censors ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

  • Veronica Neffinger

    Veronica Neffinger wrote her first poem at age seven and went on to study English in college, focusing on 18th century literature. When she is not listening to baseball games, enjoying the…

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  • Updated Dec 16, 2015

A school district in Kentucky says it will censor all religious references from its production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in response to a complaint.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) reports that, after becoming aware of the Johnson County Schools’ announcement, they sent a letter to the district, asserting that leaving the Biblical reference in the play is not a violation.

“There is no violation of the so-called ‘separation of church and state’ by allowing children to learn about theater and the origins of Christmas through participating in a stage version of this beloved program that contains the same religious elements as the television version…,” the ADF letter explains. “Given that courts have consistently held that schools may organize and sponsor Christmas programs and performances that include religious songs and study the historical origins of Christmas, there is no basis for the District’s decision to censor the religious aspects of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas.’”

Matt Sharp of the ADF said that schools should not have to cater to these kind of complaints. “Are school officials going to start demanding that other classic productions, such as Shakespearean plays, be censored just because they contain religious references?” Sharp questioned.

The ADF offered legal assistance to the school district if the family who complained decides to file a lawsuit to prevent the school from performing the play.

Publication date: December 16, 2015