In Texas, Carroll Independent School District board president Cameron Bryan called for the public school district to use the phrase "Christmas break" instead of the much more inclusive "holiday break."
Bryan claimed that teachers, administrators, and parents were "afraid to openly recognize this holiday on our campuses due to fear of retribution," although he didn't share any specific examples of this.
"I have, as I'm sure we all have, received several correspondence this month from the district referring to a 'winter break,' 'winter parties,' 'holiday break,' 'holiday parties' — everything but 'Christmas break' and 'Christmas parties,'" Bryan said. "It's Christmas and New Year's break, and I think the district should refer to it as such."
From WFAA:
Bryan cited House Bill 308, signed into law in 2013, which states, "a school district may educate students about the history of traditional winter celebrations, and allow students and district staff to offer traditional greetings regarding the celebrations, including "Merry Christmas"; "Happy Hanukkah" and "Happy holidays" in making his request."That is the law in Texas, so therefore, I want every Carroll ISD student, teacher, administrator, and parent to know it is OK to recognize and observe this holiday on our campuses if you so choose," Bryan continued.
Worth noting is that the US Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights currently has seven open investigations into numerous allegations against the Carroll Independent School District of racism, discrimination against people with disabilities, and gender or sexual discrimination and harassment.
