FCPS schools hosting religious events?

[Anonymous]

*PP here - look up community use. They are allowed to do this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the event is voluntary and outside of normal school hours. What’s the problem?

Bc it looks like fcps is promoting, advertising, and favoring a specific religious group.

My guess is that this is an event organized and hosted by a cultural group that is paying for the space in the school (like many churches do on Sunday mornings to hold their services) and they sent a message to the principal inviting the school community to participate and learn about Ramadan and Iftar, which resulted in the email OP received and posted here to spark outrage.

[Anonymous]

As a Muslim who grew up Lutheran, I would be so totally stoked to be invited to a community Lenten Fish Fry or Fat Tuesday feast. Please someone organize one and invite me Would also be very happy to attend a community Seder or Diwali celebration. Let’s do it all!

I think that the key thing is that the explicitly religious part is accommodated separately.

The part that you seem to be missing is that the prayer room is an accommodation, not part of the event. A lot of Muslims will be in attendance at this event, and they need to pray Maghrib. If there is nowhere for them to pray, they wouldn’t be able to comfortably attend the event. Seems practical to designate a space rather than have them wandering about, or worse, just doing it in the main room while everyone stares. That would be awkward. This is exactly the same way that children who wish to pray are accommodated during the school day.

Do your schools not host Trunk-or-Treat events? Parties right before winter break (we all know what holiday the ginger bread houses are for - and that’s ok!)? Holiday gift and coat drives? I’ve been to the tiny tot concerts where they definitely make reference to both Christmas and Hanukkah.

What saddens me about this manufactured outrage is that you know this event probably came about because some kid went, “Gee mom, you’ve been shuttling me between all these aunties and uncles houses for Iftar - could we have iftar with my friends from school too?” And she went, “yes! The more the merrier!” And now you just want to ruin it for funsies. Hope it makes you feel better!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a Muslim who grew up Lutheran, I would be so totally stoked to be invited to a community Lenten Fish Fry or Fat Tuesday feast. Please someone organize one and invite me Would also be very happy to attend a community Seder or Diwali celebration. Let’s do it all!

I think that the key thing is that the explicitly religious part is accommodated separately.

The part that you seem to be missing is that the prayer room is an accommodation, not part of the event. A lot of Muslims will be in attendance at this event, and they need to pray Maghrib. If there is nowhere for them to pray, they wouldn’t be able to comfortably attend the event. Seems practical to designate a space rather than have them wandering about, or worse, just doing it in the main room while everyone stares. That would be awkward. This is exactly the same way that children who wish to pray are accommodated during the school day.

Do your schools not host Trunk-or-Treat events? Parties right before winter break (we all know what holiday the ginger bread houses are for - and that’s ok!)? Holiday gift and coat drives? I’ve been to the tiny tot concerts where they definitely make reference to both Christmas and Hanukkah.

What saddens me about this manufactured outrage is that you know this event probably came about because some kid went, “Gee mom, you’ve been shuttling me between all these aunties and uncles houses for Iftar - could we have iftar with my friends from school too?” And she went, “yes! The more the merrier!” And now you just want to ruin it for funsies. Hope it makes you feel better!

100% this. Very well said.

[Anonymous]

So did the school respond to all your outraged emails?

[Anonymous]

For the millionth time - anyone can rent an FCPS facility. We've seen this post umpteen times about various religious groups, from Christians to Satanists. It's not sponsored or endorsed by the county. It's just a rental. You can rent it too if you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the millionth time - anyone can rent an FCPS facility. We've seen this post umpteen times about various religious groups, from Christians to Satanists. It's not sponsored or endorsed by the county. It's just a rental. You can rent it too if you want.

I think the complaint is that the invitation came from the school. Not that the event is being held there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the millionth time - anyone can rent an FCPS facility. We've seen this post umpteen times about various religious groups, from Christians to Satanists. It's not sponsored or endorsed by the county. It's just a rental. You can rent it too if you want.

This clearly isn’t community use where a group rents the space. The school sent out the notice with school and fcps logos. This is fcps sponsoring, endorsing and hosting a religious event. Did you even read the OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the event is voluntary and outside of normal school hours. What’s the problem?

Bc it looks like fcps is promoting, advertising, and favoring a specific religious group.

My guess is that this is an event organized and hosted by a cultural group that is paying for the space in the school (like many churches do on Sunday mornings to hold their services) and they sent a message to the principal inviting the school community to participate and learn about Ramadan and Iftar, which resulted in the email OP received and posted here to spark outrage.

OK - replace the above with Christian verbiage. I know of an Episcopal church that holds services in a FCPS HS and has for over a decade.

I guarantee the pastor would *never* send an email to the HS principal asking to invite the school community to participate and learn about Palm Sunday and Easter. Could host a church potluck or provide traditional Easter fare.

[Anonymous]

I hope the event gets canceled - this is an overstep on principal’s part.

[Anonymous]

I would love for FCPS to move winter break, often referred to as Christmas break, a week further away from xmas....so those that often complain that the "pendulum has swung" truly realize how embedded some things are, and how they rarely need to be inconvenienced for holiday celebrations, in the majority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree, people like OP are the ones that have caused the school system to have to shut down anything even remotely religious or cultural and she doesn't even realize it!!

Our school doesn't even do multi-cultural night anymore because of people like OP complaining about religious dances at a multi-cultural event. It's outrageous. Let's celebrate people's culture. Yes, sometimes celebrating someone's culture includes something related to their religion. That's okay! It's also an optional event, it's not like someone is saying "It's Ramadan, nobody in the entire school can eat today, you must come break fast with us after sunset", they're just saying "hey, we are doing this to celebrate the Muslim population in our community and we invite you to join us and learn about our culture".

Would you be okay with FCPs organizing s Passover dinner, along with prayers?

An Easter Sunday celebration?

A lenten fish fry with a room set up for Stations of the Cross or a Rosary?


Our community facebook page changes the banner around for various holidays. They put up a Ramadan banner for around a week. It had a couple of dozen of posts from muslims and non muslims wishing them well.

Then they switched it to a generic Lenten banner for Ash Wednesday, that said something generic like "Pray, Fast, Sacrifice" with no mention of God or Christianity specifically.

The page exploded with outrage over including a banner recognizing a Christian holiday. Dozens of posts appeared almost immediately, upset over the Lenten banner, many specifically saying they were upset that it was recognizing a Christian event. The moderators had to take down the banner over the outrage. It didn't even stay up the full Ash Wednesday.

It was then followed by several additional threads of people upset that a Christian holiday was recognized, even though the Ramadan one had been up for almost a week and tge page always posts a cute generic banner for the various holidays. The mods then posted an egg banner, joking about egg prices being a universal issue, which was followed by people starting threads complaining that eggs are actually a Christian symbol since folks dye eggs at Easter, so the eggs proselytize Christianity.

You can't tell me this area isn't overtly hostile to Christianity, nor that you and others would not be flipping out if FCPS were promoting a Christian or Jewish prayer event.

Nailed it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree, people like OP are the ones that have caused the school system to have to shut down anything even remotely religious or cultural and she doesn't even realize it!!

Our school doesn't even do multi-cultural night anymore because of people like OP complaining about religious dances at a multi-cultural event. It's outrageous. Let's celebrate people's culture. Yes, sometimes celebrating someone's culture includes something related to their religion. That's okay! It's also an optional event, it's not like someone is saying "It's Ramadan, nobody in the entire school can eat today, you must come break fast with us after sunset", they're just saying "hey, we are doing this to celebrate the Muslim population in our community and we invite you to join us and learn about our culture".

Would you be okay with FCPs organizing s Passover dinner, along with prayers?

An Easter Sunday celebration?

A lenten fish fry with a room set up for Stations of the Cross or a Rosary?


Our community facebook page changes the banner around for various holidays. They put up a Ramadan banner for around a week. It had a couple of dozen of posts from muslims and non muslims wishing them well.

Then they switched it to a generic Lenten banner for Ash Wednesday, that said something generic like "Pray, Fast, Sacrifice" with no mention of God or Christianity specifically.

The page exploded with outrage over including a banner recognizing a Christian holiday. Dozens of posts appeared almost immediately, upset over the Lenten banner, many specifically saying they were upset that it was recognizing a Christian event. The moderators had to take down the banner over the outrage. It didn't even stay up the full Ash Wednesday.

It was then followed by several additional threads of people upset that a Christian holiday was recognized, even though the Ramadan one had been up for almost a week and tge page always posts a cute generic banner for the various holidays. The mods then posted an egg banner, joking about egg prices being a universal issue, which was followed by people starting threads complaining that eggs are actually a Christian symbol since folks dye eggs at Easter, so the eggs proselytize Christianity.

You can't tell me this area isn't overtly hostile to Christianity, nor that you and others would not be flipping out if FCPS were promoting a Christian or Jewish prayer event.

Nailed it

I seriously doubt this. Please share what "community" this was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would love for FCPS to move winter break, often referred to as Christmas break, a week further away from xmas....so those that often complain that the "pendulum has swung" truly realize how embedded some things are, and how they rarely need to be inconvenienced for holiday celebrations, in the majority.

Christmas is one of America's main national holidays.

You would have no teachers, students or funding for that week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the event is voluntary and outside of normal school hours. What’s the problem?

Bc it looks like fcps is promoting, advertising, and favoring a specific religious group.

My guess is that this is an event organized and hosted by a cultural group that is paying for the space in the school (like many churches do on Sunday mornings to hold their services) and they sent a message to the principal inviting the school community to participate and learn about Ramadan and Iftar, which resulted in the email OP received and posted here to spark outrage.

OK - replace the above with Christian verbiage. I know of an Episcopal church that holds services in a FCPS HS and has for over a decade.

I guarantee the pastor would *never* send an email to the HS principal asking to invite the school community to participate and learn about Palm Sunday and Easter. Could host a church potluck or provide traditional Easter fare.

If that high school is sending out invitations through fcps.gov email, inviting all the student in that school to join in the Episcopalian vespers service, then of course they would receive complaints.

Has your school ever sent invitations via official fcps mailing addresses with official fcps logos to the student body attend the Episcopai chirch services?