Downvoters should have the courtesy to explain their reasons.

The tone of this answer is hard to read. Are you serious about ("expecting praise for his courageous moral stance"? Is the answer effectively suggesting to point the finger at the principal to cause him grief and embarassment?

@cdkMoose If the decision causes the principal 'grief and embarrassment' then it might help them to make better decisions in the future. I don't see the justification for making all his underlings suffer the same embarrassment. The fact that an answer that recommends honesty and openness has recieved at least one downvote is a sad sign of the times IMO.

The administrator has made an embarrassing error.

@hobbs I suggest that you look at the question again. I answer it clearly and simply. The OP doesn't want to have to justify the decision with which they disagree. The solution is spelt out in my answer, right there in the final sentence. Feel free to revise your downvote accordingly.

@hobbs, the comment isn't complaining about DVs, it's asking people to explain their votes so the concerns can be understood and possibly dealt with. And if complaining about DVs should be a bannable offense, shouldn't complaining about complaining about DVs be bannable as well? And "tell the truth" is definitely an answer to the question.

@cdkMoose, yes, the principal is likely looking for praise, since he is making school less about Christian beliefs, which can be overbearing to people of other faiths. I can't tell you how many times I've been ostracized and lost friends for not being Christian. Being a public school, they shouldn't be pushing a specific religion, which is what singing specific religious holiday music can be seen as. There's the Separation of Church and State to uphold.

@computercarguy same thing. Votes are anonymous for a reason. Asking voters to out themselves is monumentally stupid and evil.

@hobbs, downvoting but without saying what needs to be fixed can also be said to be "monumentally stupid and evil". How can someone fix something if they don't know what's wrong? Drive-by DVs are one of the many reasons why SO/SE is considered toxic by many people.

@computercarguy the purpose of a downvote is to move the content down the page and signal to readers that it's wrong or not useful. You're making a mistaken assumption that there is something to be "fixed" when, in general, there is not. The fix is for someone else to supply a good answer (which often, as now, is already done).

@hobbs, I find that many answers are DVed because of misconceptions on what that answer says, and that can and does need to be fixed. Rewording an answer can definitely change a subjectively "bad" answer to a "good" one. And just because some people don't agree with an answer, it doesn't mean it's wrong or not useful. I find this answer to be very useful and correct. I don't understand how telling the truth could be "wrong or not useful". Isn't "telling the truth" the whole crux of the problem with how people view the news and media anymore? So why does this suddenly change with schools?

@computercarguy, The principal is just as likely to be trying to quiet a vocal complainer. We shouldn't attribute intent that we have no knowledge of. Quite often being principal of a public school is a no win situation, with complaints coming from both sides of any issue.

@cdkMoose, there's likely several vocal complainers the principal is trying to quiet. That still suggests they are looking for praise from those complainers. And looking for praise isn't necessarily a bad thing, in fact that's a large part of what we've been taught in this society: to seek praise/approval/awards/winning. BTW, do you point a finger at the moon to cause grief and embarrassment for causing tides? No, you point to it to show what's causing the tides. Grief/embarrassment and praise/courageous stance are personal opinions attributed due to the effect, not the cause.

@hobbs and yet strangely, the current top scoring answer has a very similar conclusion to mine but with a different preamble. Have you set your face agin me for some reason?

@computercarguy, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. giving in to the complainers doesn't mean seeking their praise, it may just mean seeking to keep them quiet. That may not be the best intent, but we don't actually know what the principal is looking for so we shouldn't assume

@TechInquisitor I agree, but a good way to convince the principal of that is for him to take responsibility for his decision and explain it to those who disagree with it. He shouldn't be shielded by those under him.