Judge rules out Good Friday school closures

Group, Jan/Feb 2001 by Roller, Julia

The tradition of closing public schools for Christian holidays is being called into question around the country. A federal judge in Illinois recently ruled that it was unconstitutional for public schools to close for Good Friday because unlike Christmas, which has become a secular celebration, Good Friday is strictly a religious holy day.

Last year in Boylston, Massachusetts, the school board voted to keep school open on Good Friday but reversed its decision after parents complained. Bobby Svenning, 17, a Christian student in Boylston, doesn't think the school should discriminate. "It's a little unfair that just because the country is predominantly Christian, that kind of favoritism is built in," says Svenning. Kristen Aldrich, 17, also a student in Boylston, disagrees with the ruling. "Where we live most kids are Christian, so I don't see the point of dropping it," she says.

Anas Saed, 18, a Muslim student in Cincinnati, Ohio, doesn't have a problem with his school's practice of closing school on Jewish and Christian holidays. But Suhas Prasad, 15, a Hindu student at the same school, thinks it's discriminatory. "It seems the school should support cultures other than Christianity and Judaism," she said. "It makes you wonder if we are important at all."

Do you think it's discriminatory to close public schools for Christian holidays? What's the practice of your school? Should it matter if there are a significant number of students who practice other faiths? Ekplain.

What could potential solutions to this dilemma be? Should public schools celebrate all religious holidays? some? none? Explain. Some companies release employees from work for the religious holidays that correspond to eir faith. Would this work in public schools? Why or why not?

How should Christians behave toward non-Christians in a secular setting? What has your own experience been with those from non-Christian cultures or religions? Does respecting everyone as a child of God mean respecting each other's diversity? If so, how would you do this?

Scripture links: Job 31:13-15; Matthew 22:34-40; Hebrews 12:14-15; and James 3:17-18 (human justice, love for others, and peacemakers). Matthew 5:43-48; Acts 10:25-35; and I Corinthians 10:31-33 (God's justice, mercy, and acceptance).