A Pennsylvania school district is walking back an order to school bus drivers to take down Christmas decorations in the name of “inclusivity.”
On Friday, the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District near Philadelphia sent a memo to bus drivers telling them to “immediately” remove Christmas decorations and stop wearing Christmas clothing because some parents had complained.
The school “has been receiving complaints from parents concerning District employees displaying ‘Christmas’ themed decorations and/or wearing clothing of the same nature,” the memo to bus drivers said.
“If you have decorated your bus with anything specific to the Christmas Holiday or any other decorations relating to a specific religion, please remove them immediately. In addition, employees are instructed not to wear clothing related to Christmas or any other religious holiday,” the memo said.
The memo added that the guidance applies to all district employees, not just the transportation department.
Some drivers reacted to the decision saying “Bah humbug” and some called it “disappointing,” according to Fox 29 Philadelphia reporter Chris O’Connell, who posted the memo on social media.
The district’s decision quickly went viral online and sparked outrage.
Later on Friday, Superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseilles responded to the controversy, saying the memo was the result of a misunderstanding between him and the Supervisor of Transportation.
The memo was simply meant to remind bus drivers to “find a balance of the District’s attempts to be inclusive of a diverse range of holiday traditions” in response to “community concerns I have received about religious neutrality,” Marseilles said.
“To the extent that this reminder led to the communication that decorations and songs typically associated with the Christmas holiday were not permitted, this was not the intent, and efforts have been made internally to clarify this point to avoid any confusion moving forward,” Marseilles continued. “We understand the importance of recognizing and celebrating the diversity within our community. We are committed to continuously improving our communication and fostering an inclusive environment for all.”
The superintendent added in a message to parents that he had not intended for drivers to feel they needed to remove any reference to Christmas.
“I did not intend — in any way — for drivers to feel they needed to turn off the holiday music, take down all the decorations or not wear any holiday clothing,” Marseilles said. “I want to be abundantly clear that we are not in any way trying to remove all signs of Christmas from our school buses or our schools.”
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