War on Christmas?

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Teams of teacher rewriting the state's social studies curriculum are attempting to kick Christmas out of the curriculum, say critics.A proposal for a new social studies curriculum for Texas public schools removes the word "Christmas" in a sixth-grade social studies curriculum on world cultures.

Conservatives, who already have defended the right of Texas schoolchildren are calling it another battle in the "war" against the Christian holiday. Groups such as the Free Market Foundation and its sister group Liberty Legal Institute have defended the right of students to express their Christian beliefs. In the lawsuit over religious freedom , a third-grade boy wanted to hand out candy canes and religious story on its origins.

"We feel like it's outrageous that there is a proposal that would remove Christmas," said Jonathan Saenz, an attorney and lobbyist with Free Market Foundation.

The draft proposal for 6th grade social studies curriculum, which will be used in Texas classrooms for the next decade, has political groups butting heads.

"This is, in fact, a fundraising gimic," said Dan Quinn with Texas Freedom Network of the conservative outcry. "This is a course on world culture and the curriculum writers wanted an example of a holiday from each world major religion."

However, Saenz said the curriculum change is just the latest example of how the education establishment in Texas has tried to push Christmas, and Christian values, out of school curriculum.

"There are many examples, students were told they could send cards to the troops in iraq they wanted to write the words 'Merry Christmas.' and they were told they could not," said Saenz.

The section in question, which ties religion to culture and philosophy in world cultures, now instructs students to explain the significance of religious holidays Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. In the proposal, Christmas and Rosh Hashanah were crossed out. Diwali was added so the five major religions of the world are covered: Buddhism; Christianity; Hinduism; Islam; and Judaism.

"They chose Easter for Christianity and now they are being attacked for it on people claiming there is some supposed war on Christmas," said Quinn.

While lobbyists on both sides are pretty fired up, parents picking up their kids at Kealing Middle School in East Austin had a quick fix.

"I think it would be good to add Diwali, but I don't know why Christmas has to be taken out," said Jan Austin, while picking up her 12-year-old granddaughter from school.

Debbie Ratcliffe with the Texas Education Agency predicts the State Board of Education will make the decision to do exactly what Austin suggested this Thursday.

"It was pretty politically naive of them frankly to think you could eliminate two major holidays and not cause a stir," said Ratcliffe. "And I think our board is sensitive to that."

The State Board of Education will meet on the issue on Thursday. They will further discuss the draft proposal in November and tell the committee to make any changes by January. Then, in March, the curriculum will be read and approved a final time before being presented to textbook publishers.