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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Perking up the Ashland Plaza Mail Tribune 100 Since You Asked: Stewart Meadows driving range days are numbered Woman given 60 doses of antivenom for rattlesnake bite Business mural gets a reprieve Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Dad admits to endangering children by failing to secure loaded gun No cause determined in fire that destroyed historic house Semi carrying glass bottles crashes Rogue River Drive fire 50 percent contained Emergency Services Politics and Elections Commissioner Skundrick plans final four town hall meetings Medford eyes electronic sign visual pollution Medford council veterans plan exit Medical marijuana patients run for council seat Former colleagues laud Atiyeh's 'practical' leadership Education A test of mettle: GED tests are more rigorous Middle schoolers get a taste of college living Abraham Lincoln Elementary parents raise money for new playground State treasurer stumps for educational endowment measure Free meals program expands in Grants Pass Environment Stressed but off life support Rogue watershed councils plan to merge West Nile Virus found in mosquitoes collected near Central Point State news Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Clarence "C.A" A. 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Ashland schools make new rules authorizing multi-faith holiday season displays Ashland public schools can display a decorated pine tree if it is surrounded by symbols from other religious holidays, but in order to remain religiously neutral they should not display a Christmas tree alone, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro told the School Board Monday. By Hannah Guzik MailTribune.com By Hannah Guzik Posted Dec. 16, 2010 @ 12:01 am Updated Dec 16, 2010 at 2:50 AM By Hannah Guzik Posted Dec. 16, 2010 @ 12:01 am Updated Dec 16, 2010 at 2:50 AM » Social News Ashland public schools can display a decorated pine tree if it is surrounded by symbols from other religious holidays, but in order to remain religiously neutral they should not display a Christmas tree alone, Superintendent Juli Di Chiro told the School Board Monday. District officials have implemented new holiday guidelines this year, after a controversy erupted at Bellview Elementary School last December over Principal Michelle Zundel's removal of a Christmas tree, because a family complained that it was a religious symbol. After dozens of parents and students protested the decision, Zundel replaced the tree, adding other winter decorations and allowing students to decorate the tree with symbols from their own religions. "Something that was problematic was, we didn't have any written guidelines for teachers and schools to use," Di Chiro told the board. A committee of elementary school parents, teachers and administrators helped create the district's new guidelines over the past year, she said. "Certainly these guidelines could be used at anytime that these celebrations could come up, but for us that mainly happens in December," Di Chiro said. "It's actually called the 'December dilemma' that many, many schools face." The committee studied the rulings of about a dozen court cases regarding school holiday displays before crafting the new guidelines, Di Chiro said. "The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that religion may only be studied when it is 'presented objectively as a part of a secular program of education,' " the guidelines state. "It is constitutionally permissible for teachers to teach about religion, but impermissible for public schools to observe religious holidays or practice religion." One set of rules covers classroom instruction and another addresses holiday displays in public areas, such as school hallways, cafeterias and libraries. Teachers should be inclusive, including all relevant holidays in classroom instruction, and should focus instruction around a theme, such as light, to explore winter holidays, the guidelines state. Teachers can also encourage families to explain their religious traditions to the class. "Certainly teachers and schools need to, and are completely allowed to, teach about religion," Di Chiro said. "Religion is a factor in our country and in the development of our country, and to ignore that would be inappropriate, but we can't have anything that promotes a particular religion. We need to be neutral and we need to be inclusive." In public areas, displays should "represent the diversity of the season, and should avoid symbols with patently religious meanings," such as the manger scene, menorahs, angels or the Star of David, according to the guidelines. If a tree is displayed, it should be surrounded "with symbols from various religious backgrounds, along with secular symbols," the guidelines state. Students may sing or perform religious songs or plays in a school assembly as long as the program also includes numbers from different religious practices and secular sources. The performance should avoid emphasizing one religion over another, according to the guidelines. Students also are allowed to be excused from participation in activities that include religious content. Although the board was not required to vote on the new guidelines, several board members expressed support for the new regulations. "I want to commend the committee," said board member Heidi Parker. "I think it's a really reasonable approach." The district will reassess the policy next year, after receiving feedback from schools, Di Chiro said. "We want to make sure that this is a joyous time of the year for everyone and make sure that we don't have any more controversies," she said. Hannah Guzik is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach her at 541-708-1158 or [email protected]. By Hannah Guzik MailTribune.com By Hannah Guzik Posted Dec. 16, 2010 @ 12:01 am Updated Dec 16, 2010 at 2:50 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. 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