Religious Beliefs

Respecting All Religious Beliefs
    The purpose of the First Amendment was to “prevent the creation of a national
religious establishment and to protect the right to individual religious freedom”
(Breaching.).   In my opinion, I don’t agree or disagree with the schools’ decision to
make accommodations for those individuals who want to celebrate their holy day
because this debate has gone on for many years about the proper place of religion in
education and political life   and is still an ongoing discussion.   I think each state should
be more flexible within their state’s school system regarding religious holidays and
which days should be excused.   In one article John F. Kennedy stated that “the idea of
no influence or no involvement from a church was not the vision of our country”
(Breaching).   However, in 1962, “the U.S. Supreme Court applied the separation
principle in a series of landmark decisions that effectively removed all forms of religious
expression from the nation's public schools”.   Although this principle was set over fifty
years ago, many public schools face a bigger challenge, in my opinion, resolving the
debate of religious absences.   In California, for example, some students were forced to
spend a religious holiday avoiding getting an unexcused absence.   Religious festivals
such as Diwali and Rosh Hashanah are examples of days where absences were
excused.   A Head of Attendance, Sharon Nudelman, of a Cal High School said only
certain holidays were excusable and students could only miss school for observance of
his or her holiday or ceremony.   Like many disagreements, people felt differently about
the importance of other festivals and holidays.   One parent and teacher felt students
should be excused for the big festivals while one student says that choosing not to miss
days where notes or lectures are given were important.   Some students feel all religious
customs should be excused whereas some feel that...