Resurrect Easter in Your School

You can help get the Easter story told to your child's class this year. How? By presenting the non-threatening Holiday Restoration Card from Gateways to Better Education to your child's teacher. You also may want to ask the teacher if you can share what Easter means to your family, and even read scripture. 

Diane Borja, a parent, wrote: "The effectiveness of the Easter cards multiplied like bunnies!" She shared the card with her prayer group, and every mom purchased a card to give to their child's teacher. 

"I bought extra cards," Diane explained, "and mailed them to teacher friends in other school districts. My friends were elated and enthusiastically shared the information with fellow teachers." "Thanks to your Easter card," Diane added, "I did a Passover/Easter presentation (complete with a homemade tomb and figures) in my son's second grade class. I had the privilege of explaining the historical meaning of the holiday in a fifth grade class as well." 

The eight-page Easter card tells the humorous story of an encounter between the Easter Bunny and a teacher. The bunny explains that the true message of Easter is about new life in Jesus. The teacher raises all the objections commonly heard from public school educators, but in this story, the smart little bunny is very familiar with U.S. court cases. He helps the teacher understand that teaching about Jesus at Easter is legally permitted. The card also includes legal documentation, Constitutionally-sound lesson plan ideas, and more! 

EASTER RESOURCES:

Order the EASTER CARD, Bunny goes to School, to give to your teacher.

Download our Easter Lesson Plan for Public Schools by CLICKING HERE.

Similar in appearance to a middle school textbook, it adapts Luke 22-24 into a textbook-style lesson with pictures, vocabulary, culture facts, and discussion questions.

We would love to hear how you helped restore Easter in your school. Tell us your story here.

Holiday Restoration Campaign

What will happen if our nation forgets the messages portrayed in our holidays? Many of our children are learning only the secular side of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. They never understand that these traditional holidays teach important lessons about Christianity. 

The problem goes beyond how Christianity is treated during the holidays. Even the mention of God is now suppressed in many classrooms. Both teachers and students are uncertain about their rights of religious expression. Many feel that the law forbids any discussion of God or even praying privately over their lunch. 

The Holiday Restoration Campaign is designed to help correct misinformation and restore accurate teaching of the religious nature of these traditional American holidays. 

Join us in restoring the real reasons for the seasons for public school children. 

An Easy Way to Proclaim the Truth

Gateways to Better Education has published unique materials that open the eyes of educators regarding what the law actually says they can do in the classroom to commemorate religious holidays. The information is packaged in non-threatening holiday cards for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. 

Each 8-page card uses a lighthearted story to show the teacher that teaching about the holidays is legal, and that it is good education for the children. Each card also contains different legal documentation and lesson plan ideas for the teacher to use. By the end of the school year, the teacher will have a better understanding of religious expression and accommodation in public schools. 

Our goal is for every Christian parent to give the cards to their children's teachers. We have found that by the end of the last Christian holiday of the school year (Easter), many of the hearts and minds of educators have opened to the idea of teaching the truth behind each holiday.

Three Powerful Elements Combined in Each Card

Persuasion: Each card is designed to convince educators that teaching about the holiday is a good thing to do.

Documentation: Legal quotes and documentation assure educators that teaching about the holidays is legal.

Action: Each card contains lesson plan ideas to show educators how to teach about the holiday.

How the Campaign Works

The goal of our campaign is to have as many Christian parents as possible give cards to their children's teachers. Also, more and more teachers are purchasing the cards for themselves and for other educators. They find the legal documentation and lesson plan ideas very helpful and reassuring. 

Some of the benefits include:

• More Christian parents will make personal contacts with teachers and administrators.

• Parents, by reading the cards themselves, will learn what the law states about the rights of religious expression in the classroom.

• Teachers and administrators will see the size of the religious community by the sheer number of cards they receive.

• More children than ever before will learn the truth about the religious nature of the holidays.

• Schools will become more open to religious expression and accommodation.

Here's How to Get Started

Parents can purchase our holiday card for their children's teachers and later follow up with them to ask what they thought about the card. Teachers can purchase cards to share with like-minded colleagues. Click HERE to shop.

Teacher-Reacher Packets are also available for parents. They make it easy for you to have a year-long outreach to your child's teacher. The packet contains a set of three holiday cards (1 Thanksgiving, 1 Christmas, 1 Easter), two note cards, a parent-teacher conference checklist to improve communication, and a prayer sheet for recording school-related prayer requests. Quantity discount prices are available. 

To learn how to promote the Holiday Restoration Campaign in your church, call Gateways toll free at (800) 929-1163, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). Gateways has promotional materials available and can offer advice and support.

What Others Are Saying

"The Holiday Restoration Campaign gives teachers and administrators the encouragement and documentation they need to support religious expression and accommodation in their schools. I'd love to see this happen in every school district in America!"
Josh McDowell,
Campus Crusade for Christ

"I've examined these cards carefully and, clearly, they do not violate any constitutional rule or regulation whatsoever."
Judge William Lawless,
Former Dean of Notre Dame Law School

"The cards had a tremendous impact. They just made our Christmas at school!"
Judy Johnson,
A mom from Novi, Michigan

Other holiday resources: Thanksgiving, Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.

Movies in the Classroom

It is quite common for schools to show PG movies to students without getting permission from their parents beforehand. This can be a troubling issue for parents who turn to Gateways to Better Education for advice on how to deal with it. 

A friendly visit with the teacher or school principal is always the best first step in any attempt to dissuade a school from showing questionable movies. If this doesn't work, there are legal issues you can point out to the administrator. 

We recently contacted the Permissions Department of Buena Vista Films, a division of Disney. According to a spokesman for the department, the school would need a public performance license in order to show any Disney film for any reason other than directly related to the curriculum. For example, if students were learning about Lewis Carroll's books, the teacher could show Alice in Wonderland without obtaining a special license. It would not be permissible to show the video just for entertainment. 

It is reasonable to assume that other studios have similar restrictions and requirements. 

Parents concerned about schools showing students entertainment videos as substitutes for academic work (whether G, PG, PG-13, or R) can alert the school principal to the illegality of the activity. 

National Free to Speak Campaign

Overview

Gateways to Better Education and the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) have teamed up to help churches equip families with information on students' and teachers' freedom of religious expression in their public schools.

Two important things will happen because of your church's involvement. YOU WILL:

Equip your students and congregation. Gateways has created a pocket-sized pamphlet entitled Free to Speak. It quotes the U.S. Department of Education statements clarifying seven important religious freedoms on public school campuses. There are 50 pamphlets in a set.
Bring clarity on the issue for local school officials. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) has created a detailed letter and stands ready to send it to school officials you designate. They have donated their time to the campaign by offering to send this letter to one school official for every set of pamphlets you order for your church, Sunday school, Youth group, or campus Bible club. You will be able to designate the schools as part of your ordering process. (Your name will not be mentioned in the letter.)

GET STARTED NOW 

Here's a simple way to equip your congregation, and impact your local schools with just a two-minute pulpit announcement:

1. Put a Free to Speak pamphlet in each church bulletin.

2. Honor and pray for the educators in your congregation.

3. Have stacks of the Free to Speak pamphlet in your church foyer for people to give to students, teachers, and friends during the week.

4. Let them know that because of your church's participation, school principals in your local schools will be receiving a six-page letter from ADF clarifying students' and teachers' freedom of religious expression.

For example, if your church has 200 people in its worship service and 30 students in its children's and youth programs, we recommend you order one for each bulletin (200), 100 extra to place in the church foyer, and 10 for each student to give away at school (300), for a total order of 600 pamphlets (12 packets of 50 pamphlets. You can, then, designate twelve school officials to receive the special letter from an ADF attorney. (Note: if another church in your community designates the same school official that you select, we will have ADF send the letter to a nearby school official who has not yet been selected. This will avoid duplication and expand the impact of the campaign.)

Here's what you do next to promote greater religious liberty in the schools in your community!

Order Your Free to Speak pamphlets now and designate which school officials you want to receive the letter from the Alliance Defending Freedom.

Download an easy-to-follow manual for promoting religious freedom in your church and community. CLICK HERE.

Give to help the campaign reach more schools. If you don't want to order pamphlets yourself, donate to the National Free to Speak Campaign and we will send pamphlets directly to teachers for you. Working with a national teachers' prayer group, we have identified 80,000 Christian public school teachers. For every donation of $30, we can donate 50 pamphlets and send the ADF letter giving more detail about religious freedom in public schools directly to a teachers' on-campus prayer group. 

What Others Are Doing

An attorney from Arlington, Texas, (with 63,000 students in the local schools) wrote:

“My church placed Free to Speak in each church bulletin. I then led the congregation in prayer and was in the church foyer after the service to answer questions from students and their parents.” 

A school board member from Florida promoted Free to Speak to her pastor who, in turn, “ordered the pamphlets and asked everyone even remotely involved in the public schools to take a handful!”

“(In our church) we recognized our educators, both active and retired. We then had a retired educator speak about the changes he had experienced in the school system concerning our religious rights. He then prayed especially for our educators. We handed out the Free to Speak pamphlets after the service to everyone as they were leaving, making sure the teachers received extra copies to hand out at school.

FAQs

1. The Free to Speak pamphlet focuses mainly on students. What about teachers’ freedom of expression?

Of the seven points quoted in the pamphlet, one addresses teachers’ freedom to meet with colleagues for prayer and religious discussions during their free time (such as lunch). As part of the campaign, the letter written by the Alliance Defense Fund (and sent to the school officials you choose) answers six questions commonly asked about teachers’ rights.

2. Can I get a copy of the letter the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) sends to school officials?

You can designate yourself as one of the people to receive the letter when you order your Free to Speak pamphlets.  

3. Where can I find the names and addresses of school officials in my community?

Most schools and school districts have web sites with the information.

4. How should I distribute the pamphlets?

Churches, civic groups, social clubs, and youth organizations are natural places to distribute the pamphlets. If you distribute them through your church you can place one in each bulletin and have extras in the foyer. We recommend that you get ten copies to each student (elementary and secondary) in your church. Encourage them to keep one and give nine to classmates and teachers.  

5. Do I need permission to distribute the pamphlets at school?

Students can give the pamphlets to people at school just as they would in any other personal communication. However, mass distribution (for instance, in the hallways) may be subject to school policies regarding distribution of any flyers on campus.

6. Is the National Free to Speak Campaign an attempt to proselytize in public schools?

The Free to Speak pamphlet focuses on the protection of privately initiated religious expression and activities from government interference and discrimination. The pamphlet contains no religious message. To order pamphlets, click here.

Eleven Religious Liberties

U.S. Department of Education Guidance (January 2020)

Evaluate Your Schools

WELCOME TO THE CAUSE of creating a better future for our children by keeping God in our schools. By that, we mean:

We envision public schools as places where students feel the freedom to express their faith and where they gain an academic appreciation for the Bible and Christianity across the whole curriculum as it relates to history, culture, and values. This can be done legally and appropriately within existing constitutional boundaries and in keeping with current laws and state standards. 

What Can I Do? 
The School Checklist (below) answers the question: “What should I do?” The checklist becomes a simple way to review your schools and, if necessary, advocate for improvements. It focuses on two areas:

1. Religious freedom so students feel the freedom to express their faith;

2. Academic freedom so students gain an appreciation for the Bible and Christianity across the whole curriculum as they relate to history, culture, and values.

Evaluate two things in your schools:

• POLICIES - School policies need to promote and protect freedom of religious expression and academic freedom to address topics related to religion

• PRACTICES - Classroom practices need to foster freedom of religious expression and instruction about the cultural and historical influence of the Bible and Christianity.

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School Checklist

ACADEMIC FREEDOM

School District Policies

The school district has a favorable policy about religious topics	Y	N
The school district has a policy regarding holidays similar to the Sioux Falls School District which was found constitutional in Florey v. Sioux Falls	Y	N
The school district allows for, or requires, a moment of silence at the beginning of each day (applicable in 34 states)	Y	N

 School Practices  

Teachers are adequately informed of the school district’s favorable policy on teaching about religious topics	Y	N
Bible literacy and Judeo-Christian history, culture, and values are appropriately included across the curriculum (see examples below)	Y	N
In Social Studies – students learn about the Bible and Christianity’s influence on American and Western civilization (link)	Y	N
In Language Arts – Bible literacy  is incorporated to enhance literary understanding	Y	N
In Science – students are taught the limits of science and have access to the full range of scientific views about evolution (link)	Y	N
In Mathematics – students learn how people of faith use math to benefit others (e.g., charity, inventions)	Y	N
In Foreign Language – students learn the Christian cultures of foreign countries	Y	N
In Music – sacred music is incorporated into the music program	Y	N
In Art – students learn the significant role of Christianity in the support and develop of the arts	Y	N
In the Library – students have access to the Bible and books with Christian characters and themes	Y	N
As part of the music program, students sing Christmas carols and other songs with religious themes	Y	N
Educators teach about the religious aspects of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter	Y	N
Teachers conduct a moment of silence at the beginning of each day (applicable in 34 states)	Y	N

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

School District Policies

Religious Freedom Day is officially recognized annually by a resolution or policy from the school board. (Sample resolution)	Y	N
The school district has a policy and guidelines clarifying students’ and educators’ religious liberties. (Sample Policy)  (Sample Guidelines)	Y	N
The school district has a policy allowing religious release time programs.	Y	N
The school district has a policy allowing student-led religious clubs.	Y	N
The school district has a policy allowing after-school religious clubs.	Y	N

School Practices

Religious Freedom Day is recognized by each school.	Y	N
Schools annually distribute information about students’ religious liberties to all students, parents, educators, and administrators. Schools consider video for announcements. (sample video)	Y	N
Character education lessons include explaining the freedom to express one’s faith in word and deed at school. (See article)	Y	N
The schools offer a religious release time program. (link, link)	Y	N
The schools have student-led religious clubs. (link)	Y	N
The schools have after-school religious clubs. (link)	Y	N