Okay, so Halloween is supposed to be a time for kids to dress-up and have fun, right? Well, not in Paramus, NJ. Alex Woinski , a 13 year old student at West Brook Middle School, was sent home from school because his costume was deemed disruptive and defensive. What did he wear, you might ask? Alex was dressed as Jesus Christ. That's right, the sent Jesus home. Alex wasn't preaching, he just wore the costume. It was a rather well designed costume at that.
According to reports, the principal of West Brook Middle School, Joan Kelly Broe, said that the boy was sent home because the costume was disruptive to other students. "Children were asking, where is the boy who is Jesus Christ?" principal Broe told WCBS-TV. "It was disrupting the education process." Other students were ordered to alter their costumes if they were deemed inappropriate, but no one else was sent home. Now, I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state, but this is ridiculous.
Is this principal saying that students just stopped working, and were running around in packs in search of Jesus? Come on! I mean, how bad could it have been? Was his costume more offensive than those that had to be altered? Interestingly enough, if you go to Ms. Broe's West Brook page, she greets you with this quote: "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." --William Butler Yeats. Seems like the fire was put out on this one. Hope Ms. Broe dusted off her witch's costume after putting a damper on something that is supposed to be fun.
I really am curious about this one, folks. Do you think Alex should have been sent home because of his Halloween costume? Just drop us a note.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Oh, Dear: Another School District Gone Mad
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2 comments:
You are so right. What the School District did was wrong and disgraceful. Halloween is a time to dress up in costumes despite a persons religious beliefs and unbeliefs.
Unusual story, being from England we`re just beginning to take the idea of halloween a bit more seriously. But to see a child belittled because of his choice of garb is truely beyond the pale. Strange choice, yes, but not when the real story of halloween is known. Job finally repenting and summoning upon the devil, after God took everything he had in a `contest` with the devil. So originally named all hallows night or all saints night.
Whether a reaction was desired by the parents or whether the child genuinely wanted to dress as Jesus the reaction is typical of a society burying its head to respect the free will and choice of the people.
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