<p>There was a baccalaureate ceremony held at my s high school this past Sunday. I had no idea what a baccalaurete ceremony was, we did not have them at my high school or college. She said that it's a "non denominational" blessing of the senior class. Apparently her idea of non denominational is different from mine. We have perhaps a 1/2 dozen Jewish families that live in our town (we happen to be one of them). My s is a junior this year and volunteered at the event. When he got back I asked how it went and he said it was "weird" and handed me the program. On the cover is an angel, a cross, a bible and a quote from John 3:16. The speakers were 2 evangelical bapist ministers, 1 Lutheran minister and the son of an evangical bapist minister. One speaker discussed Christian Ministry through music and the local Christian Academy performed a skit about how god would punish those who sin while away at school and how Jesus died for our sins.</p>
<p>I'm pretty tolerant - I don't mind Christmas trees, Christmas carols, Easter Egg hunts etc. I have a problem with this ceremony because it's held at the public high school, and all seniors and their parents are invited as it's part of "graduation week", yet no attempt is made to include those who are not Christian. I would like to discuss this with the school adminstration, but my s is currently ranked #1 or #2 in his class and I don't want to jeopardize his chance to graduate #1 (our state University gives full ride scholarships to those who graduate #1 from any of the state's public hs). Should I just leave it alone?</p>
<p>wow Nova, this sounds really out of line for a public high school. My public hs had a baccalaureate (way back when), and we had poetry read, songs sung, a slide show of all the seniors but nothing overtly Christian or any other religious overtones (other than that it was held in a church). It was really a reflective time for all of us seniors as we headed off on our different paths.</p>
<p>I would suggest that your son write a letter to the administration conveying his concerns and that he would like to be on the committee for his baccalaureate next year, so that he might make suggestions that might be more inclusive of the school community as a whole. The letter should be very polite and not be an attack on the administration, but should point out that some might be disenfranchised due to the overtly religious nature of the program.</p>
<p>Our HS moved the baccalaureate from the Methodist church to the HS a couple of years ago. They made it non-denominational, with Jewish and Muslim participants invited. The Muslims did not participate. The speaker used an inspirational , non-religious theme. The music selections and reading were along the same lines. It was nicely done, although lightly attended. I think many remember the much more Christian version that had been in place for many years. BTW - it is always advertised as a parent sponsored, not school sponsored event.</p>
<p>I agree, you have every right to be upset. I also generally try not to complain to administrators because of fear of retaliation against my kids. Like it or not, some awards in school (although not #1 or #2) are subjective, and I worry that a kid with complaining parents may not get the benefit of the doubt…</p>
<p>You could address a letter the school anonymously and sign it “a concerned parent.” If it were written respectfully, I think it could send the message and allow you to express your concern without fear of negative consequences.</p>
<p>Are you sure it was an official school event? Many schools around here have eliminated Baccalaureate ceremonies and some parents take it upon themselves to organize one. They cannot use the school’s paper, etc.</p>
<p>If an official school event, then it crosses a ton of lines, but only you can decide whether it is worth it to “rock the boat.”</p>
<p>High schools in our system have replaced baccalaureate with a celebratory afternoon. They have only non-religious speakers. No sense that it is a religious event at all.</p>
<p>That said, at both the schools where parents organize it themselves and at our school (and others in our system), attendance is sparse.</p>
<p>Several churches in our area offer Baccalaureate Ceremonies for local high school graduates who are members or attend youth group at the specific church. We received an invitation directly from the church, and it had nothing to do from the school. (For that matter, kids who participated graduated from six or seven of the local high schools, one of which is in the adjacent district.)</p>
<p>I think the important part of this is whether the (public) school organized and sanctioned the event, or whether it is simply something that a local church does. While schools may not endorse a religion (or religion in general), they may also not prohibit students from discussing religion or religious events with other students at school at times when students are generally able to talk. School is considered a limited public forum. So if some students asked your son to be an usher, or encouraged him to attend the Baccalaureate, or convert to Christianity, or to pray at the flagpole before school, the school is not allowed to prohibit that activity or speech, even if the parents object. Teachers (and administrators, for that matter) may generally not make those kinds of requests, just as they’re not generally permitted to have a bible on the desk in elementary schools. If the school provides mailing lists to outside companies then it may not refuse to provide a mailing list on the same terms to a religious entity. (Can you tell I went to a training session on this stuff?)</p>
<p>Several churches in our area offer Baccalaureate Ceremonies for local high school graduates who are members or attend youth group at the specific church. We received an invitation directly from the church, and it had nothing to do from the school. (For that matter, kids who participated graduated from six or seven of the local high schools, one of which is in the adjacent district.)</p>
<p>I think the important part of this is whether the (public) school organized and sanctioned the event, or whether it is simply something that a local church does. While schools may not endorse a religion (or religion in general), they may also not prohibit students from discussing religion or religious events with other students at school at times when students are generally able to talk. School is considered a limited public forum. So if some students asked your son to be an usher, or encouraged him to attend the Baccalaureate, or convert to Christianity, or to pray at the flagpole before school, the school is not allowed to prohibit that activity or speech. Teachers (and administrators, for that matter) may generally not make those kinds of requests, just as they’re not generally permitted to have a bible on the desk in elementary schools. If the school provides mailing lists to outside companies then it may not refuse to provide a mailing list on the same terms to a religious entity, but mailings should never suggest that the school sponsors the activity. (Can you tell I went to a training session on this stuff?)</p>