Kings Park Parent: 'I Believe In Tolerance, Respect' on Silent Night Controversy

A Kings Park parent offended by a chorus director's alterations to the popular holiday carol "Silent Night" has stepped forward to give his reasons for speaking up. 

Kevin McDonald, a St. Joseph's parishioner, told Kings Park Board of Education and administrators he was offended by a chorus teacher removing all religious references from the Christmas carol "Silent Night" at their Dec. 17 meeting. 

While Kings Park Board trustees, school administrators and R.J.O. Intermediate School principal Rudy Massimo have promised it will not happen again, the event has sparked a debate among Patch readers over religious songs in school performance. 

McDonald commented himself on Patch, to share his reasons for saying something about the altered "Silent Night": 

My name is Kevin McDonald. I am the person who spoke in front of the School Board the other night, and unfortunately started the entire “Silent Night” thing.

 I decided to speak to the Board not because I am intolerant, but because I believe in tolerance. We should all be free to practice or not practice our own faith in our own way. I believe that what I think is sacred based upon my beliefs and my faith should be respected. I believe that what you think is sacred based upon your beliefs should also be respected.

The decision to change the words to Silent Night was unfortunate, disrespectful and wrong. Using poetic license on a song that tells the story of the birth of Jesus is just a bad idea. There were many other songs that could have been performed, and there really was no reason to torture the integrity and meaning of Silent Night, a sacred, simple and timeless Christian hymn.

 I read a post that stated that a parent was happy that the chorus sang a “Christmas” song. What was performed actually wasn’t a Christmas song, it was a song about a quiet, moonlit night, with no reference to what actually makes it Christmas.

After the concert, I spoke with Dr. [Susan] Agruso, but really wasn’t able to get her to understand my concerns. The following day, I contacted Dr. Agruso by email, and explained to her what I wanted, which was to understand the thought process and the review process behind song selection, and to get an objective acknowledgment from her that using the modified version of the song was inappropriate.

 Dr. Agruso refused, and in fact represented to me that (in her actual words), “None of the words were changed.” By now anyone who is interested has seen the performance, and seen that the words and the meaning of the song are obviously changed. I then decided that the best course of action for me was to speak in front of the School Board, and that’s what I did. I did not solicit press involvement.

 After the Board meeting, I had a very polite and professional conversation with Mr. [Rudy] Massimo, the Principal of RJO. Mr. Massimo stated to me that the review of the song lyrics was his responsibility, and that he didn’t fully realize the impact of changing the lyrics. He sincerely apologized, and I willingly accepted his apology.

To those people who are making character judgments about Mr. Massimo (and the Choral Director as well), please, please stop. It’s not fair. There’s an expression “If you mess up, fess up”. He did. As a practicing Catholic, I believe that the church teaches forgiveness. Mr. Massimo and the Choral Director are good people who have dedicated their careers to working with the children of Kings Park. It’s monumentally unfair to define them by this one incident.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, is the behavior of Dr. Agruso. She has continuously refused to accept any responsibility for bad decisions that were made in the school district under her watch. All you have to do is look at the language of the School District’s statement, and this will become readily apparent.

 “This action was not approved by the Board of Education or district administration, nor is it their role to approve the songs chosen for our concerts.”

While Mr. Massimo’s actions regarding Silent Night were an unfortunate mistake, Dr. Agruso’s actions have been intentional and embarrassing.
 Lastly, I would like to apologize to the children of Kings Park. They performed what was assigned to them beautifully, and we should all be proud of them. They were caught in the crosshairs of all of this, and they deserved better.
 I am very sorry for whatever role my two minute speech to the School Board may have played in taking attention away from their performance.

Respectfully, I ask us all to remember that this is the season of “on earth peace to people of good will." A very Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and a very happy and healthy New Year to everyone.