This instilling of such dread in children is wrong. The washtowel tends to add new restrictions as if they had always been in place. In this case, there might be a list of things that are objectionable, and if it is not on that list, it is acceptable. This list needs to be static, and not added to at the whim of 8 scumbags. When I was in, this list included all holiday parties (including birthday parties), saluting the flag, prayer, and standing when the anthem is sung. All other activities, including class trips, need to be allowed (unless the nature of the class trip was directly against the religion). Fire drills are always acceptable--if the religion ever forbids participating in fire drills, they need to be shut down.
Now, suppose there would have been a bomb threat. I went to school--and, when I was in 7th grade, there was a bomb threat. We got another one late in 9th grade. In both cases, we were instructed to assemble in places where it was supposedly safe. In the 9th grade threat, this place was way out away from the school--more than a fire drill. Both were false alarms. However, it only takes one problem to cause disaster. Maybe not a bomb, but suppose the propane system is leaking. The correct act would be for a teacher or responsible student to sound the alarm at once, and alert someone in charge that there is a leak in the gas somewhere. Or, if someone sees a crack in the building getting bigger, it is urgent to evacuate the building at once because it could imminently collapse. If someone is left behind because it "might" be against the religion or the religion is too vague at what displeases its god, that could create death or serious injury.
And this is not advocating the list of objectionable items as it stood then, either. Children should participate in Christmas (including Santa, since that is part of the fun), Easter, Halloween, birthdays, and most other fun things (maybe if it involves smoking weed or vandalizing property, they should refrain from participating). They should be allowed to go to most class trips--the only exception might be if the child is blatantly not interested in the event, or could be unreasonably endangered. Children should be encouraged to support their country--and it should be left up to each one as individuals to support prayer as they see fit. As for fire drills, those are mandatory and for the safety of the children. While most are simply drills (or false alarms, such as the two bomb threats I went through), one day it might not be a false alarm. Only once did I go through a fire drill where it was a real fire--a small fire, but real. That was wimpy that time, but another time it could have spread through the halls and not been so wimpy. Or, had it got near a propane line, it would go from a wimpy fire to a whopper of a kaboom in less than a second. Better I was outside should that happen than inside.
