New York State School District Bans Popular Christmas Song

Christmas Day has passed, as we look forward to the New Year's holiday now, but the holiday season is still here and perhaps Christmas music is still being played.

However, one school district in New York State has decided to take major steps in banning a popular holiday song from its curriculum.

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The Brighton Central School District, which is located just outside of Rochester in Monroe County, is banning the use of "Jingle Bells" from its curriculum, per WIVB.

The Brighton Central School District actually sent a letter to parents and family members of students, outlining why they will not use "Jingle Bells" in their schools or use it for their curriculum.

“It may seem silly to some, but the fact that ‘Jingle Bells’ was first performed in minstrel shows where white actors performed in blackface does actually matter when it comes to questions of what we use as material in school.”

The reasoning from school superintendent Kevin McGowan is the song was first performed where white actors performed in blackface.

McGowan went on to say:

“Choosing songs other than ‘Jingle Bells’ wasn’t a major policy initiative, a ‘banning’ of the song or some significant change to a concert repertoire done in response to a complaint." “This wasn’t ‘liberalism gone amok’ or ‘cancel culture at its finest’ as some have suggested. Nobody has said you shouldn’t sing ‘Jingle Bells’ or ever in any way suggested that to your children.”

McGowan  also said that the song ("Jingle Bells") is closely associated with a religious holiday that not everyone celebrates, and was likely not a song they wanted in the curriculum in the first place.

The letter, and the story of banning "Jingle Bells," has taken off on social media and has become a national story outside of Rochester, NY.