Principal Eujin Jaela Kim has banned Santa Claus from PS 169 in Brooklyn, N.Y., for a more politically correct winter celebration, according to USA Today. A memo sent in November by assistant principal Jose Chaparro instructed staff to "be sensitive of the diversity of our families. Not all children celebrate the same holidays."
"We definitely can't say Christmas, nothing with Christmas on it, nothing with Santa," said PTA President Mimi Ferrer. "No angels. We can't even have a star because it can represent a religious system, like the Star of David."
The city's Department of Education (DOE) stated that it permits holiday symbols like Christmas trees, dreidels, Hanukkah menorahs, the Islamic star-and-crescent and Kwanzaa's kinaras but not displays that depict images of deities, religious texts or religious figures, according to The New York Post.
PS 169's business manager Johanna Bjorken sent a memo to staff at the beginning of December, reminding employees, "In case you are wondering about grey areas: Santa Claus is considered an 'other religious figure.'"
The school also banned Thanksgiving for a more politically correct harvest festival, and soon after Kim arrived in 2014, the Pledge of Allegiance was also banned, according to NBC New York, although the DOE says that is a teacher's choice.
A Facebook page started this morning, "Terminate PS169 Principal Eujin Jaela Kim," is picking up steam and members.
