It seems innocent: A Christian minister dresses up as Santa Claus and visits elementary schools before the holiday break.

But some parents of students in the district said Tuesday they were offended because the Santa impersonator invited to all three elementary schools in the Baldwin public school district by Supt. Jim White ignored constitutional principles separating church and state.

“The public schools are not an extension of a church,” said Todd Cohen, who has a kindergartner at Baldwin School. “The public schools are for all people of all faiths. It is simply inappropriate and disrespectful to promote your personal religious beliefs or nonbeliefs in a public classroom.”

White said he didn’t equate the red-and-white costumed Gregg Childress’ remarks in the schools to preaching the gospel.

“I don’t think that happened,” White said. “I was there most of the time.”

But Childress said he had a clear religious message for students at the Baldwin, Vinland and Marion Springs elementary schools.

“I was just trying to impress on children the real meaning of Christmas,” he said. “That it’s not Santa Claus. It’s really Jesus’ birthday. Jesus was here a whole lot before Santa Claus.”

âÂÂ’If I had known …’

Principals of the three elementary schools apparently were notified White would bring Childress, an associate pastor at First Christian Church of Overbrook, to speak at the schools. Parents weren’t notified, which would have allowed them the opportunity to excuse their children from Thursday’s classroom presentations by Childress.

“If I had known Santa was going to talk about God, I would have raised hell,” said Fadra Andrews Mitchell, mother of a third-grader at Vinland School. “If discussing all religions, maybe, but they’re talking Christianity. That’s an agenda.”

Mitchell said it wasn’t the first instance in which she felt White had crossed the church-and-state line. She said he previously refused to revise a school billboard that included a reference to God.

“I find it pretty difficult to see how someone would believe he (Childress) was preaching the gospel,” White said.

Told some parents were upset by his proselytizing message in the schools, Childress apologized if anyone in the community was offended. He said he had portrayed Santa more than 20 years, often visiting schools but never experienced backlash from parents.

Complaints about Santa’s visits indicate district officials need to look into the issue, said Linda Rogers, a Baldwin School board member and veteran Lawrence elementary school principal.

“I think this needs to be discussed at our school board meeting,” Rogers said. “We need to look at a policy. We need to talk with administrators.”

Lawrence policy

In Lawrence, the district’s policy specifically forbids “celebration of any particular religious holidays.”

The influence of religion in history, literature, art, music and science can be part of the curriculum, but the policy states that at no time can there be preference shown for any one religion. At no time can symbols connected to a religious holiday, including Christmas trees, be displayed in Lawrence schools.

Rogers, principal at Riverside School in Lawrence, said it was possible Baldwin’s policies and practices hadn’t kept pace with the community’s thinking about religion in public schools.

Bill Scott, principal at Vinland School, said he thought the visit by Childress and White was well-intentioned. He met Childress but didn’t accompany him through the school.

“I don’t think there was any intention to try to force religion on students,” said Scott, who also has heard grumbling about the Santa tour. “Honestly, I don’t know where to go with this. It may be something we want to rethink.”

While some residents of the school district in southern Douglas County disapproved of the discussion of religion in school, others found it worth repeating.

Anti-smoking Santa

Baldwin school board member Chip Hornberger said he had no objection to introducing discussion of God or Jesus into classrooms.

“Personally, I don’t,” Hornberger said. “I realize that as a school board member, that isn’t necessarily school policy.”

Neither principals of Baldwin and Marion Springs schools nor the school board president could be reached for comment.

Other portions of Childress’ comments disturbed some parents.

Childress spoke to the students about the evils of tobacco, alcohol and illegal drugs. Some people, he said, who consume these items could go to prison or die of cancer.

Mitchell’s third-grade daughter, Chesney Buck, came home upset because she has relatives who smoke cigarettes. Equating them to criminals hurt her feelings, Mitchell said.

“He said if people smoke they’ll go to jail,” said Chesney, 8.

Mitchell said that kind of ominous message didn’t have a place in an elementary school presentation by Santa.

Childress said he meant no harm when he warned students there could be consequences to smoking, drinking or taking drugs.

“I’m terribly sorry for that,” he said.