Christmas Carols OKd on school buses(Chicago)

[RedEarth]

Carols OKd on school buses
Gurnee district reverses its ban

By Barbara Bell, Special to the Tribune. Tribune staff reporter Jodi S. Cohen contributed to this report
Published December 9, 2004

Christmas carols and other kinds of music will again be played on a Gurnee-area school district's buses after a short-lived ban gave new meaning to the "Silent Night" season.

At a special meeting Wednesday night, the Woodland School District 50 board told Supt. Dennis Conti to allow radio music on the buses again. The decision brought applause from audience members, who had packed the board room. Some began singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

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The ban was launched after a pupil had a disagreement with a bus driver over Christianity after Christmas music was heard on the bus. The child was offended by the driver's comments, Conti said.

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This was the second time in the last week that parents criticized a school district for removing Christmas-related cheer. At Spring Grove Elementary School in McHenry County, pupils sang holiday songs at a celebration last week without mentioning Christ or the Christmas story.

That prompted a parent and a Chicago lawyer associated with the non-profit Alliance Defense Fund to say the school's concerts diminished Christmas by unfairly censoring Christian references.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0412090378dec09,0,1378420.story?coll=chi-newslocalnorth-hed