School Districts Trying To Be More Sensitive During Holidays

December 25, 2000

Source: The Denver Post

On December 25, 2000, The Denver Post reported that while sensitivity to different cultures during the winter holiday season has increased, teachers, students and families must still be careful about how they treat the holidays. In schools, Christmas concerts, Santa Claus art projects and other traditional holiday celebrations are being replaced with winter festivals and global holiday rituals. Cory Elementary School begins the season by taking its students to a production which includes different religious celebrations. Efforts such as this one have been partly a response to the growing Muslim and Jewish populations in Denver. Schoolink, a program in which Jewish parents meet with Denver-area principals to discuss the significance of Jewish holidays, is one change that has recently been made. The Muslim community also holds forums to discuss and teach about Ramadan. Some school districts have guidelines about the holiday season.