Ashley Coughenour from Ohio has made an appearance on Fox 8 Cleveland to share her heartbreak at a substitute teacher’s actions.
According to Ashley the substitute teacher was filling in for her daughter’s school, and while doing so she told the Grade 3 children that Santa and his elves aren’t real.
The teacher’s confession came after a gleeful class attempted to show her their classroom’s Elf on the Shelf.
Ashley’s nine-year-old daughter who was in the class, recalled the substitute teacher saying: ‘Santa Claus isn’t real, Christmas isn’t real and Christmas elves aren’t real 0 it’s all made up.’
An upset Ashley told Fox, ‘I was angry. I was heartbroken. I want to know why she felt it was okay to shatter a childhood – anybody’s childhood.’
Another mother posted to Facebook to vent about the ordeal, saying the regular teacher attempted to fix what had been done, but some children are still ‘confused.’
‘A substitute teacher decided to take it upon herself and tell the class that Elves, Santa and Christmas in general was all a lie,’ parent Maryjo Hays posted on the public page Santa Claus Writes.
‘The teacher did some damage control upon returning but there’s a few kiddos that are still very sad and confused and a little unsure.’
The elementary school received several complaints following the incident, and have since claimed the teacher is no longer allowed to work at their school.
The school issued a statement, which read: ‘We agree it is not appropriate for anyone working in our schools with our young children to make comments regarding their personal beliefs about the authenticity of Santa Claus. Any such comment would be made in extremely poor taste.’
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