Ethics Case Framework

What are the facts?

*The school board questioned the how celebrating Christmas in schools impacted Jewish
students
*Christians and Jews make up 85% of the community’s population
*Questions were raised about how the other 15% would feel if the celebration included
Hanukah, but not their views.
*Some wondered if allowing Christmas themes in school violated the separation of church and
state
*Although the discussion was civil, a solution couldn’t be met.

What is your gut reaction?

My gut reaction to this case is that we should be able to expose students to all sorts of different
practices. Teaching what others do during this time of year is important. If we are going to
learn to be tolerant, we must expose! People tend to be intolerant to what they don’t know or
understand. I can understand that one who doesn’t celebrate these days may feel out of place,
but in the real world, Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanza have major influences on our society.
Those who do celebrate shouldn’t only be able to celebrate in their home. Tolerance on all
sides is a must.

Identify the moral concepts/principles

The moral of this case is that people are diverse, and that includes religious beliefs and
practices across cultures.

Describe the conflict of moral principles

I believe the major conflict here are students’ rights to express who they are and what they
believe in a school setting. This conflicts with the rights of students to not be forced to
participate in religious activities in school. Another problem is that activities such as songs,
cutting and gluing activities, and decorating are all planned out by the teacher. Teachers must
remain neutral when it comes to religious material. However, many people who are not
Christians also celebrate Christmas. A teacher having her students sing jingle bells or create a
construction paper Christmas tree does not necessarily mean she is of the Christian faith. Is
Christmas, as it is usually celebrated in schools and commercially, necessarily a Christian holiday
anymore? In this situation, there is a major conflict between what is fair for all and what is
good for most. Most of the students celebrate Christmas and Hanukah, so they thought they
should teach both; others believed it shouldn’t be taught at all since it was fair to all and would
hurt the other 15%

Compare the Con-Noncon arguments for the case

The consequentialists went for all or nothing: celebrate Christmas and Hanukah since the
majority of the population are Christians and Jews, or celebrate nothing. They wanted to
celebrate Christmas since it was good for most, or celebrate nothing so most don’t get
offended. The nonconsequentialists were the opposite: do not celebrate Christmas or
Hanukah because 15% of the population does not, or celebrate everything.

Consequential Ideas Non-Consequential Ideas

*The board began to wonder how the
*Christmas and Hanukah should be celebration of Christmas in schools felt to Jews,
celebrated in school (85% of the population Muslims, Buddhists, Confucianists, and
celebrate). atheists.

*Christmas should not be celebrated at all.
There should be no decorations, songs,
activities, or talk (written or oral) about
Christmas.
*Shouldn’t the other 15% have their holidays
celebrated in school?
*Doesn’t being tolerant require understanding
another’s’ point of views?

What are the problems with Con ideas What are the problem of Non-con ideas

The problem with the first idea is that the
other 15% of the population is being left
out of the celebration. Yes, they are being
exposed to the views of others, yet they
are not getting the opportunity to share
their holidays with their peers. They may
feel left out or even that their beliefs are
wrong.
In the second, other side extreme is that
Christmas should not be celebrated at all. I
feel like this is a problem because it is
infringing on the students’ rights to express
their religious ideas. Students are allowed
by law to write about Christmas if it relates
to the assignment. They can discuss
Christmas if it isn’t interfering with
instructional time. To pass these laws
could be unconstitutional.
For the first two ideas, the problem is that
there are so many different beliefs and
practices, so it would be very time consuming
and financially draining to find ways that
appease 100% of people. It is great to
acknowledge that we must be tolerant of
others’ views, but how can we possibly teach
about all of the different views of our
students? Opinion and beliefs differ across
Christianity itself as there are many different
denominations. Exposing students to the most
common could still teach the skills needed to
be tolerant and accepting of the views of their
peers and others in the world.
Being tolerant does require that we
understand the viewpoints of others, but it is
also widely accepted that religious viewpoints
should not be taught by teachers. Teachers
could possibly take advantage of the
opportunity to teach about the religious
purposes behind the holiday. Is it ok for
 teachers to teach around a holiday that is
considered religious?

Discuss the case with others and come to reflective equilibrium. How would you persuade
someone that this decision is based on more than preference?
On reflection of this case, I believe a reflective equilibrium could be reached and solutions that
would make most happy could be reached. It is a must that we learn the different beliefs and
practices of others, but also have to accept that there are far too many to learn about them all
deeply enough to fully understand them in school. Since there are many beliefs, it is important
for teachers to know their students. Schools should be allowed to have non-biblical decoration,
sing non-biblical songs, and perform as long as it isn’t based on the bible. However, teachers
should be careful to focus on the beliefs and traditions of their own students to ensure all
students are represented in some way. Students should feel safe and not feel shame for
following a different tradition. It should be made just as important as celebrating Christmas.