A school district in Smithville, Ohio, won’t be scheduling Christianity into its school calendar or holiday decorating activities anymore.
Green Local Schools District featured a overtly Christian theme on its lunch calendar this past December, listing “Baby in a blanket on a bed of straw” with a “star” on the lunch menu. This was an obvious reference to the birth story of Jesus Christ. The calendar also displayed a picture of a baby in a manger on Dec. 26, paired with the wording “The Best Christmas Gift.” FFRF was also made aware that Green Middle School had several classroom doors decorated with nativity scenes and references to the birth of Jesus Christ.
In a letter sent on March 16, FFRF Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert informed Superintendent Judy Robinson that a nativity scene is a sectarian Christian symbol, which is unlawful for a public school to display. Markert warned against the constitutional violation of promoting a religious doctrine in a public school. On June 20, FFRF was informed by a school official that the situation had been investigated and corrected.
