School bans holiday items from holiday gift shop

CHELMSFORD, Mass. -- A local school has banned the sale of any holiday items from their holiday gift shop.

“It’s absurd. Why do you have a holiday gift shop at the holidays if your eliminating the holidays?” said Kathy McMillan, a parent.

The Byam Elementary School sent a letter home asking for donations to the holiday gift shop, but the letter points out that many holiday items are banned. Donations such as Santas, candy canes, Christmas stockings, menorahs, or any religious item of any kind have never been accepted.

“Like most of Massachusetts, Chelmsford has a wide variety of cultures and they celebrate many religions and out of respect for all of those religions it was determined in 1982, let’s just make this a generic fundraiser,” said Superintendent Donald Yeoman, of the Chelmsford Public Schools.

Some parents are questioning what kind of a lesson their children are really learning by eliminating gifts that represent the season.

“Our concern is what are they teaching the children. They say its diversity, but diversity is inclusion, not exclusion,” McMillan said.

The holiday gift shop is an annual event that many are now saying should be moved to another time of year.

“It’s a hard topic and I can understand why there is some controversy, but I can also understand that people have choices in America and that’s what makes America special,” said Michelle Maybury, a concerned parent.

The parents who are looking to overturn this ban are hoping to convince the school committee later this month.

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