School bans holiday items from holiday gift shop

[The Straight Story]

School bans holiday items from holiday gift shop


CHELMSFORD, Mass. -- A local school has banned the sale of any holiday items from their holiday gift shop.

"It's absurd. Why do you have a holiday gift shop at the holidays if your eliminating the holidays?" said Kathy McMillan, a parent.

The Byam Elementary School sent a letter home asking for donations to the holiday gift shop, but the letter points out that many holiday items are banned. Donations such as Santas, candy canes, Christmas stockings, menorahs, or any religious item of any kind have never been accepted.

"Like most of Massachusetts, Chelmsford has a wide variety of cultures and they celebrate many religions and out of respect for all of those religions it was determined in 1982, let's just make this a generic fundraiser," said Superintendent Donald Yeoman, of the Chelmsford Public Schools.

Some parents are questioning what kind of a lesson their children are really learning by eliminating gifts that represent the season.

http://www3.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO129803/

[valerief]

1. The kids will learn that people who lose their jobs, their health insurance,

and/or their homes are way, way worse off than these kids not having a Santa or a dridel at a school shop.