Mum asks school to take Christ out of Christmas

Seven-year-old boy stays home to avoid nativity lesson on baby Jesus. By Josephine Franks.

A family kept their son home from school this week to avoid a class about the Christian origins of Christmas. Katherine Hogg said she was unhappy her son’s class was being asked to act out the nativity and hold discussions about Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

So on Wednesday, her son stayed home from Stanmore Bay School in the north Auckland suburb of Whangapara¯ oa.

Hogg had no problem with Christmas activities in general, she said, but making them Biblical was ‘‘out of line . . . for a secular school’’.

Former Principals’ Association president Patrick Walsh said it was ‘‘PC going mad’’.

‘‘While New Zealand is a secular country there is no harm in celebrating Christmas with a Christian theme,’’ said Walsh, of the Catholic John Paul College. ‘‘We’re living at a time of goodwill and cheer and I think the parent needs to lighten up.’’

Katherine Hogg said the saga started when her son had a schoolyard debate about Santa and a teacher told him off.

In a letter to the principal she said it was ‘‘awfully hypocritical’’ for her son to be told to keep his beliefs to himself, only for the school to offer a forum for Christian students to discuss their beliefs about Christmas.

‘‘While it is absolutely fine for children to hold their own discussions on Santa and religion on the playground, it should not be teacher-led within the classroom,’’ she wrote.

Hogg said teaching religion in a ‘‘historical sense’’ was fine, but ‘‘I don’t think that would include Biblical re-enactments or encouraging students to talk about their own beliefs’’.

‘‘That’s really, really bad.’’ Lisa Reynolds from the Secular Education Network said it was ‘‘almost impossible’’ to reenact the nativity scene in a secular way. ‘‘Individual teachers have to be very careful,’’ she said.

Stanmore Bay School principal Matt Sides said the school was looking into the concerns raised.

‘‘The intention has been teaching traditional stories, myths and legends across the term,’’ he said.