I think it all comes down to this one question. That's exactly why everyone is so mad, this person had no right to inflict her beliefs on these innocent children. If she disagreed with the lesson, she should have taken it up with adults.
It also goes back to what one was saying above, if this teacher was an athiest, should they have been allowed to present that God does not exist? We all know the answer to that.
Conservatrix, I am very interested in your answer to the above question. Isn't this a matter for the parents to decide? I agree with most of us here, she overstepped her bounds.
"It also goes back to what one was saying above, if this teacher was an athiest, should they have been allowed to present that God does not exist? We all know the answer to that. "
Your parallel isn't. If Santa were a religion, then the teacher would have been prohibited from making any comments on its validity...pro or con.
That's pretty clear in our laws. However, Santa Claus is not a deity, any more than Superman is. Both are purely fictional characters. Nobody knows the truth about deities, so that topic is rightly off limits. Otherwise, the Hindu teacher could say that the Judeo-Christian deity is a false one or vice versa. I don't think we want that.
Santa Claus, however, is a fictional character. That is a fact. That is the truth. There is no Santa Claus in real life. Santa is a myth. Teaching that Santa is a myth is teaching simple truth. Explaining the origins of the Santa Claus character is teaching simple truth.
That's what school is for. Teaching. Parents may teach bizarre ideas to their children. That is their right. And...they often do. Teachers teach what is factual, or what the curriculum says is factual, at least. That is their job. Teaching religion is not their job.