Teacher Disciplined for “Santa is White” remark

In New Mexico, Cleveland High School students were told they could come to school dressed as a Christmas character. When an African American boy, Christopher Rougier, came to school dressed as Santa Claus, one of his teachers, whose name has not been released, said to him, “Don’t you know Santa Clause is white? Why are you wearing that?” This outraged the boy’s father. The teacher felt very badly about the remark and reported it himself to the school principal, as well as apologizing to the boy and his family. However, the boy’s father still feels that if this is the teacher’s attitude, it could affect his classroom and has pulled his son out of the teacher’s class.

I think this was a very, very stupid thing for the teacher to have done. Although no harm may have been intended, America is still fighting to get rid of racial prejudice, and for an adult to single out a kid, in school no less, which is supposed to be a safe learning environment, is absolutely inappropriate. My mom also thinks it was a really silly thing of him to do, and she is glad the teacher apologized to the boy’s family. She also thinks that it would be gracious of the boy’s father to accept the teacher’s apology if he has not already.

This article showed no bias. I thought both sides of the issue were fairly presented.