No Santa, no Rudolph: B.C. mother questions lyric changes for son's school concert
CTV
A Saanich, B.C., mom is questioning why her son came home from school with the words “Santa,” “Rudolph” and “Christmas” crossed out on a lyric sheet for his winter concert.
A Saanich, B.C., mom is questioning why her son came home from school with the words “Santa,” “Rudolph” and “Christmas” crossed out on a lyric sheet for his winter concert.
Marie Garvin said her son, a Grade 4 student at a school in the Vancouver Island city, was told the lyrics to Candy Cane Lane were changed to be inclusive.
“I'm in full support of all inclusion and diversity,” Garvin said. “It just felt like we were erasing Christmas.”
Garvin said she understands school staff may want to avoid songs about religious figures, but said Santa and his red-nosed reindeer seem pretty innocuous.
“I get that Christmas originated as a Christian holiday. However, I feel now many people celebrate Christmas in different ways that don't have a religious aspect to it,” she said.
“There are so many ways that we can include people without cutting things out. To me, that's not the answer.”
Garvin emailed her concerns to superintendent Dave Eberwein, who told CTV News there’s no directive from the Saanich School District that bans certain words.
