Plan allows Nativity at Christmas!

By WND Staff


Nativity

The New York City Council is working on a proposal that would allow a Christmas Nativity scene to be displayed in public schools during winter holiday seasons beside an Islamic star and crescent and a Jewish menorah.

According to a report from the Thomas More Law Center, the council heard testimony from law center attorney Brian Rooney and comments from Bill Donohue of the Catholic League this week on a proposal that would end a long-standing policy of discrimination against Christians in the public schools at Christmas.

The district for years authorized displays of the Islamic star and crescent and the Jewish menorah, yet completely banned the display of Nativity scenes.

Council member Tony Avella introduced a resolution that asks the New York Department of Education to halt the discrimination.

The resolution cites policy that allows the display of various symbols “as long as they are displayed together temporarily during the winter holiday season” and a 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals conclusion that a Nativity is constitutional as part of such holiday displays.

“Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Department of Education to amend its holiday display policy for New York City’s public elementary and secondary schools, to allow a crèche or Nativity scene to be displayed during the winter holiday season in the same manner it allows other religious symbols,” the resolution states.

Rooney said, “The star and crescent and menorah are religious symbols that serve the DOE’ secular learning purpose. A crèche is no different. Discrimination is discrimination, and the DOE’ policy has the effect of being discriminatory. By excluding the crèche, the DOE’ policy current policy is internally inconsistent, objectively hostile and bigoted, and it must be changed.”

The resolution was generated after the Thomas More Law Center sued the district on behalf of Andrea Skoros and her two children, Catholics who wanted to display a Nativity scene at Christmas.

The 2nd Circuit Court said the menorah and star and crescent are in fact religious symbols – contrary to the DOE policy. Although the court did not rule that displaying a Nativity scene would be unconstitutional, its reasoning allowing for the menorah and star and crescent make clear that if the school system wanted to place a crèche in schools, this, too, would be constitutional, the law center said.

The city school policy has expressly allowed the menorah to be displayed as a symbol of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, and the star and crescent to be displayed as a symbol of the Islamic holiday of Ramadan.