California school cancels Santa visit after Jewish mother complains

The Jewish mother of a kindergarten student is under fire after her child’s school canceled a class trip to visit Santa following her complaints.

The students from Sartorette Elementary School in San Jose, California, had been scheduled to visit a cafe to write letters to Santa and sit on Santa’s lap in what has been an annual tradition, according to local reports.

But last week’s field trip was canceled after complaints from the Jewish mother, identified by local media as Talia. The mother wrote letters, voiced her concern at a school board meeting and met with the school superintendent, the Los Angeles NBC affiliate reported.

Talia is a certified California teacher and complained about the focus on one religion during the December holidays, according to the report.

Since the cancellation, fellow parents reportedly have unfriended Talia on Facebook and yelled at her in the schoolyard.

Talia called it an “inclusion issue,” not a Jewish one. She told reporters her daughter is the only Jewish student in the class, but said that several cultures are represented in the class, not just Jewish and Christian.

About 30 parents reportedly kept their children home from school on Friday and took them to visit Santa, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.