Missouri’s Iberia Elementary School previously planned on including a recitation of the “biblical meaning” of verses in “The Twelve Days of Christmas” at its Christmas program. However, after receiving a letter from Staff Attorney Patrick Elliott, the school changed the script prior to the concert.
The religious script claimed religious meanings for each of the verses in the popular, secular holiday song, including claims that Jesus is the “true love” referenced in the first day, the two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments, and the six geese a-laying are “the six days of creation.”
Elliott’s Nov. 10 letter informed the Iberia R-V School District that “having young elementary school students recite the purported ‘biblical meaning’ to a gathering of elementary school students, teachers and parents gives the appearance that the school endorses the religious message.” Moreover, “the content of the script is demonstrably false,” and thus, “if music instruction in the District is meant to educate, the Christmas program script is doing a disservice by spreading false and unsubstantiated claims.”
FFRF’s local complainant reported on Nov. 24 that the program’s script had been changed to a secular version.
