March 29, 2024

Good Friday isn’t ‘bogus holiday’ to a majority in Newton

To the editor:

As a general rule, I don’t pay much attention to articles concerning the local school board especially after the complete mess they and the previous superintendent made by closing a neighborhood school and forcing half of the children in Newton to leave their own neighborhood to go to school.

One of the best things about Newton was the fact we had “neighborhood schools.” What a shame that’s not the case anymore. In reality, they didn’t shut the Emerson Hough building down after all, so where’s the cost savings? But that’s another story.

That said I did read the July 9 article about the changes to the NCSD calendar year. The older I get and the more challenges I’ve faced, especially over the past several years, so very little surprises me anymore.

However it still amazes me that we as a nation, state and community continue to elect some of the people we do. Case in point, Nat Clark.

If I read the quote correctly Mr. Clark said, “Why do we need to be off for April 18th?” That just so happens to be Good Friday, which should be the most sacred and solemn day to all Christians throughout the world.

He went on to say, “That has nothing to do with any kind of educational thing. If we are going to lump other bogus holidays in, why do we need to be off for Good Friday? It has nothing to do with education.”

Nothing to do with education? Then why do we take off for Christmas, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, or any other holiday? What do those days have to do with education?

Every event and every day we live life should be an opportunity for education. If your answer is really “nothing,” then you go ahead and tell the parents their children should be attending classes those days.

As long as we’re on the subject of education, we all need to realize “a true education” certainly doesn’t start in the classroom and most certainly shouldn’t end in the classroom. According to almost any survey you pick, 8 out of 10 Americans are Christian.

Maybe Mr. Clark is. Maybe he isn’t. But, I’m fairly certain 8 out of 10 of the people in the Newton Community School District are Christians. Much is made about “taking some heat” for having school on Martin Luther King Day, and maybe for good reason, but I’m fairly certain Dr. King would be much more offended for scheduling classes on Good Friday than on MLK Day.

History teaches all Christians that Good Friday is the day our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for all of our sins so that we may all receive the greatest gift of all. Yes, Reverend King would most certainly be appalled at Mr. Clark’s Good Friday comments.

It amazes me how we seem to walk on eggshells so as not offend anyone because of race, gender, sexual orientation or all the other religions of the world, but it’s perfectly acceptable for Mr. Clark to blatantly offend all Christians. If you do decide in the future to recommend classes on Good Friday, I’d suggest you also recommend an extremely educational film called “The Passion of the Christ.”

God Bless.

David McNeer

Newton