The superintendent of the school system in America’s wealthiest county has moved the classic American holiday to the category of religious and partisan holidays celebrated only by some.
In a message to families, Loudoun County, Virginia Superintendent Aaron Spence wrote that this week, “many families will celebrate Thanksgiving,” and that, “Amid this busy-ness, I hope you and your loved ones find time during the Thanksgiving break — regardless of whether you celebrate this holiday or not — to share your gratitude.”
Critics say the message suggests that government-run schools are not seeking to integrate immigrants and instill American values in them, but instead cultivating a balkanized society in which celebrating an American holiday, without caveat, might “colonize” the culture of immigrants, who make up an outsized share of public school families as those who can’t afford to flee the public school systems.
It also reflects an anti-American view, pervasive on the Left, who view the Pilgrims themselves as “setters” who should not be celebrated.
Abbie Platt, a mother to three LCPS students, said the message was “insulting.”
“I find Spence’s message to the LCPS community insulting,” Platt told The Daily Wire. “Thanksgiving is one of the major holidays in the United States. It is a celebration of the origin of America and what makes our country great.”
“LCPS pushes a slew of international holidays, which could be fine, but they no longer speak of Easter, or Christmas. Instead they refer to winter and spring break. Our kids no longer celebrate Columbus Day, but instead are told about Indigenous People. The deliberate attempt to rewrite the fabric of American history is deeply concerning,” she said.
Kari LaBell, a newly-elected Republican school board member, said the message is “reflective” of Spence’s “woke background.”
“He is careful to recognize that we have people here from many countries,” but “Thanksgiving is a historic federal holiday put in place by Abraham Lincoln and a marvelous opportunity to teach more about American culture, something we are sadly lacking in our schools.”
“Just recently students were off for Diwali, not Veteran’s Day. We also had the day off for Yom Kippur, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, and Eid al Fitr. Add in two days for Labor Day, six days for teacher work days, Election Day,” and other holidays, and “that’s a total of 40 days students are NOT in school learning. And we haven’t even factored in snow days! While I understand the desire to be all-inclusive, shouldn’t we be more concerned about consistent student school attendance?” she told The Daily Wire.
Virginia is the home of many of America’s founding fathers and contends that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated there in 1619, not at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts in 1621.
An email to LCPS spokesman Dan Adams bounced back because he is out of the office celebrating Thanksgiving.
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