An elementary school principal has been placed on leave after she issued a alarming memo banning numerous items relating to Christmas.

Principal Jennifer Sinclair of Manchester Elementary School in Elkhorn, Nebraska sent out a lengthy memo to inform that Christmas items in the classroom will be banned, including candy canes, because “historically the shape is a ‘J’ for Jesus. The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection.”

Sinclair went on to say that anything red and green is “not acceptable” in classrooms because they are Christmas colors and could cause non-Christian students to feel excluded.

“I will do my best to communicate the expectation from here on out, which aligns with my interpretation of our expectations as a public school who seeks to be inclusive and culturally sensitive to all of our students,” Sinclair wrote at the end of the memo after writing out her list.

Parents were horrified when they read the memo.

“I feel like it was very deliberate and intentional about eliminating just Christmas and putting an attack on what Christmas is and what it stands for,” said parent Jenni Myers.

Liberty Counsel, an organization that promotes Evangelical Christian values, soon got involved, and Sinclair was placed on administrative leave last Thursday.

“Elkhorn Public Schools District administration promptly addressed the issue at Manchester Elementary School regarding the memo that was sent by the principal to Manchester elementary staff,” the school said in a statement. “The memo does not reflect the policy of Elkhorn Public Schools regarding holiday symbols in the school. The District has since clarified expectations and provided further direction to staff in alignment with District policy. This issue was limited to Manchester Elementary School and did not arise at any other schools within the District.”

Below is Sinclair’s full list of what she deems is and is not acceptable in her classrooms:

Acceptable practices:

• Gifts to students
• Students making gifts for a loved one
• Snowmen, snow women, snow people, snowflakes
• Gingerbread people
• Holidays Around the World – purposeful presentation of information to teach about different cultures
• Sledding
• Hot chocolate
• Polar Bears
• Penguins
• Scarves, boots, earmuffs, and hats
• Yetis
• Olaf – Frozen

Not acceptable:

• Santas or Christmas items (clipart) on worksheets
• Christmas trees in classrooms
• Elf on the Self – that’s Christmas-related
• Singing Christmas Carols
• Playing Christmas music
• Sending a Scholastic book that is a Christmas book – that’s Christmas-related
• Making a Christmas ornament as a gift – That assumes that the family has a Christmas tree which assumes they celebrate Christmas. I challenge the thought of, “Well they can just hang it somewhere else.”
• Candy Cane – that’s Christmas-related. Historically, the shape is a “J” for Jesus. The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection. This would also include different colored candy canes.
• Red/Green items – traditional Christmas colors
• Reindeer
• Christmas videos/movies and/or characters from Christmas movies

Undoubtedly, this list of banned and what’s regarded as acceptable by Sinclair during the Christmas season is profoundly disturbing. What are your thoughts? Please share in the comments section.