Boy in a Santa suit asked to quit dance

[3dGameMan]

Boy in a Santa suit asked to quit dance: ~source (http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/hampton/12212004/news/55149.htm)

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/hampton/h12_21b.jpg

By Patrick Cronin
pcronin@seacoastonlie.com

HAMPTON - A parent of a Hampton Academy Junior High School student says the principal of the school told his son to leave the school’s holiday dance on Friday night because the boy was dressed in a Santa Claus costume, which was politically incorrect.
Michael Lafond said his son, Bryan, went to the dance dressed as Santa because it was a holiday party.

"He asked if he could dress like Santa and we said yes," said Lafond. "We went to Brooks and purchased the outfit and everything."

Lafond said his wife dropped off Bryan at the school.

"I went to the dance with my friend," said Bryan Lafond, who is in seventh grade. "He had an elf hat on and we thought it was pretty cool. Everyone loved the suit, but when I went by the principal, he asked why I was dressed like that."

Principal Fred Muscara said he told the boy he couldn’t get into the dance because he was wearing the costume.

"It was a holiday party," said Muscara. "It was not a Christmas party. There is a separation of church and state. We have a lot of students that go to Hampton Academy Junior High that have different religions. We have to be sensitive to that."

Bryan said while Muscara didn’t say he had to leave, he told Bryan if he wanted to go the dance he would have to change out of the suit and put on proper attire for the dance.

Having nothing to change into, Bryan left the dance to try and find his mother.

"My wife was leaving the parking lot when she saw Bryan running out of the building," said Lafond. "He told her that the principal said it was politically incorrect to wear the Santa outfit."

"I saw him running out of the building crying," said Leslie Lafond, Bryan’s mother.

Lafond said while he disagrees with their reasoning he could almost understand it.

What he couldn’t understand was why his son was able to leave the dance.

"One of reasons why we are so angry is that the school has a policy that says once you go to the dance you can’t leave until it’s over," said Lafond. "You can’t leave school grounds unless they call a parent. If my wife wasn’t there, my son would have been out roaming the streets."

Bryan’s mother picked up her son and drove him home to change.

Lafond said his wife had to persuade Bryan to go back to the dance.

"He was so embarrassed," said Lafond. "It wasn’t like he was trying to pull a prank. He is just a good-natured kid getting into the holiday spirit who just happened to walk right by Scrooge."

Muscara said he was unaware that Bryan left the dance.

"I asked if he had something he could change into and he said he did," said Muscara.

Lafond said when his wife drove Bryan back to the dance, she complained to school officials.

She said she also complained to several School Board members and Muscara.

On Monday, Bryan’s parents went before the School Board to voice their concerns.

"I don’t want this to happen again," said Leslie. "It is unacceptable. When Bryan returned to the school, the principal said, ‘What are you doing, trying to get me fired.’ That is not a proper comment to make to a student."

Superintendent James Gaylord told the School Board it would discuss the matter in non-public session because it involved a student and personnel.

When contacted at her house Monday afternoon, Hampton School Board Chairman Nancy Serpis said she was concerned with what she heard. ...

[Ringthane]

And yet, if someone had shown up in whatever traditional clothing Muslims wear (or any other religion), they'd have ben ushered right in.

This is getting ridiculous. I think the next big political brouhaha in this country is going to be about religion and where it belongs. I could eventually see it getting violent too, which is sad.

[CyberGuy]

I think if parents started launching suits against the schools on the grounds of violations of their kid's rights, the school systems might start changing their tune.

The principal definitely overstepped his authority on that one. Myself in this situation would have been right back in to have a 'talk' with that principal.

[bejohnson]

Since when is Santa a "Religious" figure? I don't recall Santa in the Bible, Torah or the Koran. This is what happens when schools are run by educated !diots.

[KaNaDiAnIcEmAn]

i dont think santa is a religious figure at all

it is a widely expected *practice* and i believe we do it so we can show the santa in us. A kind, loving, helpful person :D

[Silent_Death911]

Santa isn't a religious figure. He's a figure associated with a religious holiday. Bullsh!t. That principal can get nothing but coal this year.

And, I was just saying to my friend back in RI the other day: My brother had a chorus concert and all the good Christmas songs had things like Jesus and God taken out and replaced to make them cheap rip-offs. To quote myself...

'the world is full of a bunch of r3tardeded religious zealots'

...and I stand by that. Every one's so afraid of their own beliefs that they don't want anyone else to express them and start some kind of childish prediciment.

Doesn't make a difference, anyway. Hardly anyone knows the true meaning of Christmas anymore. It's just a commercial holiday. :Sigh

[bejohnson]

This is from our sermon that was delivered last Sunday. Just in case anyone needs reminding why we celebrate Christmas.

For the last 150 years certain Sabbatarian groups (as well as others) have been dividing churches and family life by proclaiming, "Christ's birthday is never celebrated in Scripture."

We are about to find, however, that not only is Christ's Birthday celebrated, but it is celebrated both in Heaven and on earth!

Luke 2:9-11 records that God sent his angel to proclaim this message:

"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born THIS DAY in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

The VERY DAY of Christ birth is declared to be a day of "good tidings and great joy" in Scripture. And it is God Almighty that sends the Angel to declare it! Notice the words that the the angel of the Lord was sent to them to proclaim, "Good tidings of of GREAT JOY, WHICH SHALL BE TO ALL PEOPLE." Unto you is born THIS DAY, in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord".

What annoys such anit-Christmas Sabbatarians is that Christ's birthday (celebrated on Dec. 25th, once a pagan day in ancient Rome) causes every people on every continent of the world to sing "Glory to God in the Highest" and "Christ our Saviour is born". But thus, the scripture is fulled as promised, "GREAT JOY SHALL BE TO ALL PEOPLE.

These groups perhaps wonder why did God have to make Christ to be "Great Joy to ALL PEOPLE", to all the nations! You find the same mentality by those Jewish leaders who persecuted the Apostle Paul and "forbid Him to preach to the Gentiles" (1 Thes. 2:16).

The GREAT JOY is for ALL people, on the day of Christ's birth. That is what Christians celebrate the Great Joy along with all people, which is the birth of Christ the Lord. But not only was it to be "Good tidings of Great Joy FOR A ALL PEOPLE".

But the Heavenly Host of Angels also rejoiced "that day" as it is written, "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Instead of rejoicing with the angels and "all people", on "THIS DAY" some have decided to rather make up excuses why Christ birth shouldn't be celebrated, though scripture says quite the contrary.

To respond to those who will say that Dec. 25th is a pagan day, I answer that Christ is the creator of "all things" all the days of the week are created by him and He sustains all things. Christ owns 7 days a week 365 days a year. Col. 1 says in verse 16, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,"; Christ is "Lord of all creation" and has "Reconciled all things for himself whether in heaven or on earth"! (Col.1:19)

The particular Sabbatarians in question say God would never let Christ be born on a day Pagans celebrated. It is not the Pagans which own the days, it is Christ who owns "all the days". The Pagans only misused the days. Christ returned the days which were abused back to the RIGHTFUL OWNER, GOD HIMSELF. Christianity, through the Holy Spirit has overcome evil with Good, Rom.12:21.

God has done this with many things both past in present. He takes pagans and TRANSFORMS them to Christians.

The Hebrew worship in the Old Testament is full of similarities.

The pagans had a temple, then God gives Israelites a temple.
The pagans had a priesthood, God gives Israelites a priesthood.
The Pagan Priests had vestments, the Levitical priesthood has vestments.
The Pagans used incense in worship, the Israelites used incense in worship.
The Pagans offered animal sacrifices, the Israelites offered animal sacrifices.
The Pagans, had spring and fall harvest feasts, God gives Israel spring and fall harvest feasts.
The pagans baptized, the Christians baptized.

The list is endless. The extreme puritianism which says you can't do this and you can't do that because the pagans had a similarity is not found in scripture. It is a doctrine of extremists like Alexander Hislop, who taught that a steeple on a church was a phallic symbol, when the truth was that the architects built steeples on the Church because Christ said, "If I be LIFTED UP, I will draw ALL MEN unto me." So, the architects of the churches lifted the cross high so that all men would see it and come unto Christ.

The kind of puritanism that exists upon some of these Sabbatarian groups has robbed them of the plain evidence in scripture that Christ's birth was not only to be celebrated ON EARTH, but in Heaven ALSO.

According to their mistaken view, we would predict that the Holy Spirit would never have referred to Christ as "the Sun of Righteousness" in Malachi. Nor would God ever let the Holy Spirit say in Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a SUN and shield".

Again, according to this view, The Holy Spirit would never call Christ, "the light of the world". Because, everyone knows that the Sun is what gives the earth light!

These Sabbatarian groups make the same mistake of trying to build a hedge around the law that Christ rebuked the Pharisees for doing. Nevertheless, Sabbatarians are once again to be shown wrong about Christ's birth not to be celebrated. All the extemely petty excuses about paganism will never in billion years out weigh the billions upon billions of good works done to glorify Christ, or the praise and glory give to the God at Christ birth.

The whole world rejoices and sings, "Oh little town of Bethlehem" and "Christ the new born King is born" . Every Christian ought to rejoice when they hear all the nations, from China, Russia, Africa, to the farthest tip of North and South America and in every nation of the world sing these songs. It something that was prophesied in Luke and is fulfilled "all people" are the receiptients of Christ's birth. Glad tidings and Great Joy shared thoroughout the World. It's a time to truly rejoice not only with those on earth but with those in heaven also.

There is no excuse for not celebrating Christ's birth.

[Raedwulf]

i dont think santa is a religious figure at all

it is a widely expected *practice* and i believe we do it so we can show the santa in us. A kind, loving, helpful person :D

Actually Santa Claus is a religious figure, based on the Catholic St Nicklaus, patron Saint on Children, where did he get the nickname St Nick from? Break the name down...Santa Claus and St Nicklaus... they're the same thing

But the school boards should think for a bit...

If St Nick is the patron Saint of Children, it should follow that Santa Claus should be welcomed into an institution *FOR THE CHILDREN*, not for some paper pushing bureaucrat

[JCYC5]

St. Nick is a man in green.

The Red Santa was created by Coca Cola for marketing Coke before it became "the" Santa...

[Raedwulf]

Appears to be dressed in red here
http://www.salagram.net/StNicklaus.html

Another graphic shows both Red and Green
http://www.prestigiousdames.com/char/st_nikolas/

hmmm... lets try Coca Cola
'invented' in 1886(so we'll use that year as a debunker)

there's other spots
C.C. Moore created the 'modern' image of SC in 1821(we think)

digging deeper

Here's the snopes entry for 'Coke'
http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/
Check item 4

My own personal thoughts...
Every picture I've been shown from my own up-bringing (german), St Nicklaus is in red, you'll have to take my word on this