Man Complains of 4th Grader Candy Cane as Religious Symbol

A school’s candy cane decoration is drawing criticism from a man who says it constitutes a religious display.

Fourth-grade student Jenna Baginski and her father, Tom, dressed up pillars at Charlotte Central School’s entrance in red & white stripes. So, local resident William Gerson wrote a letter of protest.

He called the decorations candy canes, saying they’re associated with Christmas and therefore a religious symbol unfit for public display.

But School Board members agreed at a recent meeting that candy canes are a secular symbol and don’t represent an improper government endorsement of religion.