REEDSBURG, Wis. (AP) - An elementary-school event in which kids were encouraged to dress as members of the opposite gender drew the ire of a Christian radio group, whose angry broadcast prompted outraged calls to the district office.
Students at Pineview Elementary in Reedsburg had been dressing in costume all last week as part of an annual school tradition called Wacky Week. On Friday, students were encouraged to dress either as senior citizens or as members of the opposite sex.
A local resident informed the Voice of Christian Youth America on Friday. The Milwaukee-based radio network responded by interrupting its morning programming for a special broadcast that aired on nine radio stations throughout Wisconsin. The broadcast criticized the dress-up day and accused the district of promoting alternative lifestyles.
"We believe it's the wrong message to send to elementary students," said Jim Schneider, the network's program director. "Our station is one that promotes traditional family values. It concerns us when a school district strikes at the heart and core of the Biblical values. To promote this to elementary-school students is a great error."
Schneider co-hosts "Crosstalk," a nationally syndicated call-in Christian radio show.
After the program aired, both the school and Reedsburg School District office were flooded with calls complaining about the event.
The response surprised Principal Tammy Hayes, who said no one had raised any objections beforehand. She said a flier detailing Wacky Week had been sent home with children the prior week, and an announcement was also included in teacher newsletters.
The dress-up day was not an attempt to promote cross-dressing, homosexuality or alternative gender roles, district administrator Tom Benson said.
"The promotion of transgenderism — that was not our purpose," Benson told the Baraboo News Republic. "Our purpose was to have a Wacky Week, mixing in a bit of silliness with our reading, writing and arithmetic."
The theme for Friday's dress-up day came from students, Hayes said.
"It's different every year. They basically present the ideas, and they vote on what they would like from Monday through Friday," Hayes said. "... They did not mean anything by this day. They were trying to have fun and come up with a fun dress-up day."
About 40 percent of the student body dressed up Friday, Hayes estimated, with half portraying senior citizens and half dressing as the opposite sex.
"I can assure you we will not be having this day (again)," Hayes said.
Reedsburg is in southern Wisconsin, about 60 miles northwest of Madison.
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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walkerp1, I hadn't seen the Corinthians passage before, maybe I need to get back to my Bible study :) It's funny though, because most of the portraits of Jesus I've seen have him with long hair! Maybe we need to make some changes to his portrait!
With all the culture issues recently not to mention the ongoing debate of homosexuality and "sexula identity" what was this school thinking???
Regardless of your views on this matter who here thinks that there is any place in this country where this wouldn't raise a few eyebrows? (Not counting California... :))
I can only come up with two possible reasons:
1) They're looking for the press coverage.
2) They're that ignorant.
It is good that the parents make that call and ensure that principals and teacher do not press the GLBT indoctrination to those young children. What is next after dressing up like homosexuals and cross dressers? Sadomasochist?
Better yet, what if the children dress up like Osama bin Laden, Khaled Sheikh Muhammad or Ayman al Zawahiri complete with Quran, bombs and swords?
WACKY WEEK??? The School Administrator is not telling the truth, and based on what is taking place across the country with the culture wars, it is just fine that this will not occur again in this school!!! GET A CLUE!!!!
All about ratings. A radio host's ratings are going to drop if they where point out any wrongful ways of the audience. Give the audience get fired up over, about someone else they will tune in the next day. Helps if the audience doesn't really care about the accuracy of what there being told
Goodness, it's wacky week! who cares! Let the children have fun! It is any worse having halloween dress up? children wear excess makeup, look realistically dead, sometimes fangs and devil sticks. list goes on.
" It concerns us when a school district strikes at the heart and core of the Biblical values." please...
Sounds similar to a thing I use to do years ago in grade school. It was called Halloween.
I think I understand the concerns of those who oppose young kids dressing like the opposite sex on a fun day. They may get the message that its ok to be the opposite sex if you prefer so. As far as I know (I am not a psychologist) children do experiment with their own sexuality. They want to discover it, often testing its boundaries, fondling for instance their private parts, wondering whether masturbation is acceptable or not. They need Biblical, loving guidance in this area like in any other area, and will do what their role models do, rather than what they say. I think a parent (often the mother) who habitually dresses his/her child like the opposite sex, does that child a great disfavour, to put it mildly. But having a fun day and testing their own sexual orientation amidst laughter and joking may even serve to clarify uncertainty about it, or at least bring it out of the 'closet'. Am I wrong?
Almost every school has a crazy dress day at some point and a few students always do this. And now all of a sudden it's an issue? Anyone who sees it has promoting transgenderism really, really, really (I cannot stress that enough.) needs help. If anything, it's lampooning it.
And chk555, don't you mean FIFTY years ago?
Ms. Hayes says that there was no nefarious intent, and this is probably the truth as far as she knows it. The fact remains, though, that Christians are constantly engaged in spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12 reads, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
From the viewpoint of the world, this would be nothing more than a silly thing for kids to do, and Christians will look like fools to make such vigorous objection to a bit of "harmless fun." Yet the Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:19a, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God," and in Proverbs 16:25, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
Clearly, we cannot rely upon our own wisdom to provide guidance, so we look to God's word for enlightenment. Deuteronomy 22:5 says, "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God." This distinction of the genders is reiterated in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering."
From this, we can deduce that the cross-dressing activity is indeed one that should concern Christians, and it also points out our need to be constantly vigilant about the environment our children face daily. Flyers were issued, but I somehow doubt that there was any 36-point caption detailing CROSS-DRESSING DAY or ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE EXPERIENCE. I have no idea how thoroughly these flyers were presented to parents or how subtle the message was, but this certainly is not the first incident where parents were surprised and angered at something they were previously unaware was brewing at their kid’s schools.
I applaud the parent who called VCYA and others who voiced their concerns.
Maybe I'm missing the point, but I always thought that kids went to school to learn, how is wacky week preparing these kids for the future. As for their dressing as the opposite sex, did any girls come dressed as girls or boys come dressed as boys thinking they were dressing as the opposite sex, I mean after all the homosexual community is saying that we are born homosexual and have no choice.
Way to make a mountain out of a molehill. Is it any surprise that non-Christians think we're sheltered and out-of-touch?
Can't say I remember doing this 25 years ago actually. Can't say I remember my kids now 22 and 18 ever having this either.
I was in grade school twenty years ago... (ok, twenty-five...)
This would have been strange then. I doubt we would have seen the same political maneuvers involved but I seriously doubt it would have been viewed as harmeless silliness. More like abject wierdness.
Twenty years ago, an activity like this at school would have been seen as harmless silliness for kids to have some fun at school. It would have been percieved like the antics and spirit of Milton Bearle, or even Bugs Bunny. But today, its a moral statement. What a shame. I remember when the world gay meant happy. Hey man! What did you do with my culture?
Right is wrong and wrong is right...
These days have been foretold!
oh c'mon! It is not that serious!