MARSHFIELD – Residents opposed to a school committee vote to remove the word “Christmas” from the school calendar say the decision promotes religious intolerance and censorship.

At a school committee meeting Tuesday night, several residents asked members to reconsider the September vote that changed the name “Christmas vacation” to “holiday break” on the calendar. The vacation week begins on Christmas Eve and ends the Monday after New Year’s Day.



Resident Elaine Taylor presented the committee with a petition signed by 443 people who want to see the vote reversed and the name “Christmas vacation” restored.



None of the school committee members responded to the residents’ request, which was presented during the public comment period of the meeting. Chairwoman Marti Morrison said the committee would hear residents’ concerns but would not engage in any dialogue on the matter.



Marshfield resident Gregory Hargadon said he sampled 85 people around town about the change to “holiday break” and not one person voiced support for it.



“This is Marshfield. It’s not Cambridge,” he said. “The overwhelming majority would like it changed back.”



He called the vote by members “an arbitrary decision based upon their own opinions,” and said the vacation is based around Christmas, which is a federal holiday whether or not one celebrates it.



“The holiday is called Christmas. That’s what it’s called,” he said. “It’s a race to be politically correct. … One person says something and you change it like that. If someone says they don’t like the American flag, are you going to remove that? Where does this end?”



The Sept. 9 vote on the name change was 3-2, with members Dennis Scollins and Richard Greer voting against it and opting for the traditional name.



The committee took up the issue after a parent contacted Superintendent Scott Borstel and asked that the name be changed.



Vice Chairwoman Carol Shrand advocated for changing the vacation name, noting that the word “Christmas” represents only one tradition.



“Marshfield’s district Mission Statement pledges a ‘… safe, healthy and collaborative learning environment that fosters respect and responsibility, empowering all to achieve their maximum potential.’ This cannot happen when we refute inclusion, disregard diversity and display intolerance,” Shrand wrote in a commentary that appeared in the Oct. 5 edition of The Patriot Ledger.



Most local school districts have steered away from calling the break “Christmas vacation.”



School calendars in Quincy, Weymouth, Braintree, Hingham, Scituate, Hanover, Norwell, Hull and Milton refer to the break as “holiday,” “winter,” or “December” vacation. Cohasset still calls it “Christmas vacation” on its calendar.



Taylor, the resident who presented the petition, said Morrison told her that she would not consider reversing the vote, no matter how many signatures Taylor collected.



“(The committee) is accountable to all the residents of Marshfield,” Taylor said. “By censoring it, it sends a message that anything Christmas is off limits.”



Resident Rossanne Lopez said the school calendar is representative of the events in the community and its values. She said Christmas is an expression of the Christian faith, and failing to acknowledge it promotes intolerance.



“You aren’t allowing them to live in a diverse setting. We aren’t empowering them,” she said. “Christmas is the reason for the vacation. Let’s call it what it is: Christmas vacation.”



Jessica Trufant may be reached at jtrufant@ledger.com.



