School Staffer Ordered to Remove Charlie Brown Christmas Display So as Not to Offend Kids of Other Religions

Charlie Brown (left) and Linus (right) with the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.(Wikipedia/Charles Schultz)

Who knew that a cartoon would be able to encapsulate the true meaning of Christmas? In "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Linus touched the hearts of many when he recited an unforgettable Bible passage.

"'For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown," Linus said.

Because of this, the Charlie Brown kids have always been present in the Christmas celebrations of Christians.

Dedra Shannon, a staffer at Patterson Middle School in Killeen, Texas, is one of the many who adored that special scene.

She was so inspired by it that she decided to use Charlie Brown images to decorate the door to the nurse's office, according to Charisma News. Her decorations featured a picture of Linus holding up a scrawny Christmas tree, together with his classic Bible quote.

She put it up on Monday. Two days later, she was reprimanded by the school principal. "She said, 'Please don't hate me, but unfortunately, you're going to have to take your poster down,'" Shannon said. "I'm disappointed. It is a slap in the face of Christianity."

The principal explained that her display violated the U.S. Constitution so it should be taken down to avoid trouble. "She said my poster is an issue of separation of church and state," Shannon shared. "She said the poster had to come down because it might offend kids from other religions or those who do not have a religion."

To appease Shannon, the principal said she could still keep her Linus display. However, the Bible passage Linus lovingly quoted had to be removed.

"I just took the entire thing down," Shannon said. "I wasn't going to leave Linus and the Christmas tree without having the dialogue. That's the whole point of why it was put up."

She said it's unfair how her display was targeted when there were many other posters promoting all sorts of events and clubs on campus.

"Throughout the school, there are talks about diversity. Well, you aren't being very diverse if you are not allowing the Christians to put something up that refers to a Christian holiday," she said.