Christian song at Wheaton parks ballet recital offends parents

Kevin and Christy Kozlowski attended their 5-year-old daughter's ballet recital on Saturday in Wheaton to watch her dance.

But they say they were dismayed to see the group of young children perform to a contemporary Christian song.

"We didn't go to the Community Center to get our souls saved," the Kozlowskis wrote in a letter to park board members. "We went there to see our daughter be a ballerina."

As a result, officials with the Wheaton Park District, which offered the ballet lessons and hosted the recital, are apologizing to everyone who attended the event. And steps are being taken to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

The song that caused the controversy is Bruce Carroll's 1996 tune "Speed of Light." The Kozlowskis said they weren't the only parents offended by the selection of the song. They said another mother, who is Catholic, also thought it was inappropriate for the recital.

"If we had registered our daughter in a dance class sponsored by one of the churches in town, this song selection would be acceptable, if not expected," the Kozlowskis wrote. "However, the Wheaton Park District is a public institution, financed by many taxpayers of various religions and faiths."

In the song, Carroll sings that the "power of prayer" is missing from Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity and that "Jesus is there, at the speed of light."

Kevin Kozlowski, who describes himself as a deist, said playing the song at a public function amounts to proselytizing.

"I believe in separation of church and state," he said. "There's a lot of kids who were on stage and a lot of families in the audience. Could there have been some Jewish parents and kids in that group? Absolutely. Could there have been some other people that have other faiths that would take offense to this? Absolutely. And in that regard, it's totally inappropriate."

Mike Benard, the park district's executive director, said he agrees the instructor who picked the song should have exercised "better judgment and sensitivity to cultural diversity."

On Wednesday, Jennifer Kupferer, the district's cultural arts and teen supervisor, sent a letter apologizing to the 69 families who attended Saturday's recital.

"The Wheaton Park District consists of hundreds of employees with various backgrounds and religious beliefs," Kupferer wrote. "It is our aim to welcome all individuals without showing preference to any particular group. The song, 'Speed of Light,' was considered by some not to be representative of this goal. We apologize for that oversight."

Kupferer went on to say a new song selection procedure will be implemented "to ensure future programs are inviting and comfortable for all."

Kevin Kozlowski said he's satisfied with the park district's response. "I just want to make sure it doesn't happen again," he said.