Missoula, Montana - Liberty Counsel has offered pro-bono legal advice to Missoula County Public Schools after parents threatened to sue the school district for allowing students to sing sacred Christmas carols. The parents, who declined to be identified, reportedly told the school district that singing Christmas carols that reference Christ or the first Christmas is “bullying."
"Comparing singing Christmas carols to bullying is disingenuous, devious, and dumb,” said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. “I hope that the school district does not bow to the manipulation and fear tactics. Every court challenge to the use of sacred music or Christmas carols in the public school has been unsuccessful,” Staver continued.
In the 1978 case of Florey v. Sioux Falls School District, an atheist parent objected to “Silent Night,” but the court of appeals sided with the school district. In 1995, a U.S. district court dismissed Bauchman v. West High School, finding that “music has a purpose in education beyond the mere words or notes in conveying a mood, teaching cultures and history, and broadening understanding of arts.” In Doe v. Duncanville Independent School District, a federal court held that a public high school choir’s adaption of "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" as its theme song did not violate the Establishment Clause and was constitutional.
The only time atheists are successful is when school districts cave. That is why Liberty Counsel is pro-active in supporting these schools and protecting Christmas and students’ first amendment rights,” Staver said.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
