A St. Paul Public Schools policy that discourages holiday celebrations will get a closer look following a parent’s complaints.

Brian Sanders objects to the district’s school-sponsored parties for Hmong New Year, which he considers a religious holiday. Speaking during a board meeting in August, he said the district ought to honor all cultures or none.

In a school board work session Tuesday evening, general counsel Nancy Cameron said the district must consider whether the primary objective of a celebration is to advance or inhibit religion.

“When you look at the (Native American) powwow or you look at the Hmong New Year, I’d say no,” she said.

Even if the celebrations are on firm legal ground, Cameron said, the board ought to review its policy on holidays. It reads, in part: “Schools shall discourage programs and festivities arranged to celebrate holidays and other special days, and shall strive to eliminate them.”

Many St. Paul schools ignore the policy.

The holiday policy came under nationwide scrutiny in 2016 after an elementary school principal canceled parties for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Amid the controversy, the board that year left the policy intact. The board said they would review it later but that never happened.

On Tuesday, the board agreed to have its policy review committee study its policies on both religion and holidays.

Board member Marny Xiong said Hmong New Year is “a celebration of the end of the year’s work and harvest time.” The holiday has a religious component, she said, but she hasn’t seen that element reflected in the school-based celebrations.

During a 45-minute discussion, board members indicated they might scrap the anti-party policy.

Jeannie Foster said celebrations are a good way for students to learn about each other’s cultures.

Mary Vanderwert said kids benefit from cultural celebrations.

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How much live instruction should we expect from teachers? St. Paul union argues for once a week “I think these things help preserve the grounding that kids need. I see real value in keeping some of those traditions alive for students,” she said. “I think it enriches our city.”

The district’s family engagement staff supports an annual Hmong New Year celebration at Washington Technology Magnet. Hundreds attended the last one, held on a Saturday in November.

Chief operations officer Jackie Turner said she told Sanders that if he wanted to organize a Swedish celebration at a school, “we would use our resources in the same manner.”