Discusses employers' duty to accommodate employees' requests for religious leave, based on the case of "Ansonia Board of Education v. Philbrook." A school board denied a high school teacher's request for three days of paid, personal business leave to supplement his paid religious leave. The final court decision turned on "reasonable…

Halloween is becoming one of the most controversial days of the school year, due to parents' religious, educational, and safety concerns. Although Halloween celebrations do not violate the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, teachers should not use them as an occasion to teach about Druidism. Schools should have opt-out provisions and…

Charles C. Haynes, religious liberty scholar and leader in the "common ground" movement, explains what guidelines schools should follow to observe the December holidays. Christmas will remain a point of contention, unless communities think about and devise rich ways to treat religious holidays, both academically and otherwise. There is…

Courts will uphold school observances of religious holidays only if they are integrated into a secular curriculum designed to teach students about cultural traditions. The court-approved policy of the Sioux Falls (South Dakota) school board, which permits religious celebrations in a broader curricular context, is described. (TE)