HOBOKEN – Santa Claus came to town. But then he was sent away.
At Calabro School in Hoboken, students take their picture with Santa every year. This year, a Jewish parent complained that other traditions were not being represented in the school’s event, according to a CBS news report. So when Santa showed up to school, he was sent away by administrators.
This set off a spree of angry comments about the parent on internet websites. Some parents argued that Santa wasn’t religious – although the religion he’s associated with is Christianity. Others said it was an issue of separation of church and state.
One parent told CBS that her son was upset and thought Santa wasn’t coming because his sleigh was broken.
A Parent-Teacher Organization meeting was held after the controversy last week, according to a report.
The school re-scheduled the event for this past Tuesday and invited Santa back, but he shared the stage with pictures of a menorah (to represent Hanukkah) and a kinara (to represent Kwanzaa). Students were able to pick where they wanted their photo taken. – Ray Smith