Saving Christmas

I recently read and article from the Austin American Statesman that I thought was interesting. The article was about a state board meeting that was held to discuss curriculum and religious holidays. One of the topics discussed was the types of historical figures that public school students wpuld be exposed to and taught. The article says that it is the state's responsibility to, "establish the foundation for responsible citizenship in a global society."They are talking about first graders. I think that they are thinking too much into it. No matter what first graders are being taught in school, they do not really have the mental capacity to establish a foundation for anything long term. The article also discusses relegious holidays to be brought up at school. I do understand that it is important to be respectful to other cultures and religions in public schools, but I do not think that it has as big of an effect on students as they think. Just because students are excused from school or because a certain holiday is discussed, does nomean that it will alter someone's religious befiefs. So why is it such a big deal? This article is important to read because everything that is decided in meetings like this could be what are children have to learn and study in the future.