Parents, Students Heartbroken as Substitute Teacher Tells Third-Graders Santa and His Elves Are Not Real

Parents and students at an Ohio elementary school are heartbroken after a substitute teacher told a group of third-grade students that Santa Claus and his elves are not real.

The substitute teacher allegedly told the students during her class at Sterling Elementary School in Mentor, WJW reported.

“She immediately just broke into tears, and she said the teacher told her Santa Claus isn’t real, Christmas isn’t real and Christmas elves aren’t real — it’s all made up. I was angry. I was heartbroken. I want to know why she felt it was OK to shatter a childhood — anybody’s childhood,” parent Ashley Coughenour told WITI.

When the principal heard about the incident, she made individual phone calls to the parents of each student to apologize for the teacher’s behavior.

The school district released a statement saying the substitute’s comments were made in “poor taste” and that she is not welcome at the school.

A similar incident took place in 2015 at a Massachusetts elementary school where a substitute teacher got on her soapbox to tell young students that Santa does not exist before school let out for Christmas break.