Parents upset over school’s “Silent Night” lyrics-switcheroo
One of the most iconic Christmas songs of all time, “Silent Night,” got a rewrite by an intermediate school in Long Island, and it has some parents pretty flustered. As WABC Eyewitness 7 News reports, RJO Intermediate School in Kings Park, New York was trying to avoid offending people, only to wind up…offending people.
So what lyrics were actually changed? The ones that touched on religion, so Christ, God, and Jesus, amongst others. If you haven’t read the lyrics to Silent Night in a while, you would see that alters the entirety of the song. According to the Times of Smithtown , at a board of education meeting, a parent said, the lyrics wound up being, “cobbled together to create something resembling a song and something that would probably pass public scrutiny for separation of church and state.”
While some parents admitted they didn’t really care, others were seriously annoyed. Parent Dan Gallo told WABC, “There is so many Christmas songs. Why would you change the lyrics to something that is very near and dear to so many people?" That reasonable question was echoed by other parents, including a mother who told the station, “I feel like if they’re going to change the words, maybe just pick another song.”
School district officials made sure to let everyone know that this wasn’t their call, and a Kings Park Central School District spokesperson also told the station, “We are aware that no disrespect was intended on the part of any staff member. We will be taking steps to be certain this never happens again.” Principal Rudy Massimo, at the school board meeting, also said, “I apologize for the disrespect. Moving forward, we are going to be more cautious with the songs we choose."
More info: WABC, Times of Smithtown
