Ohio Substitute Teacher Tells 3rd Graders Santa And Elves Are Fake, School Apologizes

At least one Ohio parent is angry after an elementary school substitute teacher told a group of third grade students that Santa Claus and his elves don’t exist in the North Pole, in fact, they don’t exist at all.

The Mentor, Ohio, substitute teacher rattled the group of third-graders at Sterling Morton Elementary School, which led to one girl crying to her mother for answers after-school, WJW-TV reports from the suburban Cleveland school.

“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,” said Ashley Coughenour, the mother of one third-grade student. “I was angry. I was heartbroken. I want to know why she felt is was OK to shatter a childhood — anybody’s childhood.”

The school’s principal was reportedly informed of the Grinch-like behavior by the substitute teacher and called the parents of each child in the class to apologize, WJW-TV reports.

The anti-Santa substitute’s comments caused heartbreak among several students, causing the school district to release a statement Tuesday that the unnamed stand-in teacher’s comments were in poor taste and according to WKBN-TV -- that individual is “no longer welcome at the school.”