After an FFRF complaint, the Payson (Ariz.) Unified School District has directed teachers not to promote their personal religious beliefs to their students.
FFRF was notified of the situation by the parents of a local kindergarten student. The student had shared that his music teacher was telling the story of baby Jesus being born and that his homeroom teacher showed a movie about “baby God saving people” and that “he died doing it.”
Multiple other issues were also addressed. The school promoted its winter concert with a flier that repeatedly referenced Christmas as “Christ”mas. Additionally, at the end of the concert, all of the teachers sang the hymn “Silent Night” on stage together.
On March 17, the district responded to FFRF that the principal had spoken to the music teacher and that they would amend future district-wide staff training to prevent teachers from promoting religious beliefs to their students.
