Holiday controversy a sign of the season.

Byline: Helen T. Gray

KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Earl Martin of the Olathe, Kan., School District remembers when five- and six-foot Christmas trees bearing ornaments adorned each classroom.

Thirty years later, "Our practice is there might be a main holiday tree on display but not a lot of individual trees, and the ornaments would not be religious," said Martin, director of elementary education and a former school principal.

In Kansas City, Kan., Wyandotte High School has what is called a "winter tree," not a Christmas tree, and "generic songs" are featured in the winter program. The students "want to sing (gospel singer Kirk) Franklin and Mariah Carey," principal Walter Thompson said, "but they have too much religion. We wouldn't use that music, even if it is allowed, because we don't want to offend anyone."

In the Northwest, when a rabbi complained the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had Christmas trees but no Hanukkah menorah, the 14 trees were taken down and then put back up after a national uproar.

This time of year, constitutional controversy has become almost as customary as Hanukkah and Christmas.

In…