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BANGOR, Maine — A Maine high school teacher complained that she was forced to remove a small pink Christmas tree festooned with the character Hello Kitty from her classroom.
Catherine Gordon is a math teacher at Bangor High School. She wrote on her Facebook page that “everything offends everyone all the time” and that it “just sucks the joy out of everything.”
The news of the pink tree’s removal took off on social media Monday. Even Republican congressman Bruce Poliquin weighed in, saying the school went too far in ordering the tree’s removal.
WLBZ-TV reported the school superintendent issued a statement saying culture, traditions and holidays must have an educational component and must be tied to curriculum.
However, WABI-TV reported Principal Paul Butler reversed the decision Tuesday.
He told the station, “I did review various reasoned perspectives on the topic that have satisfied an important professional responsibility: to ensure that the sharing of any one tradition ultimately highlights the universal nature of holiday celebration. The Christmas tree that has been the focus of this discussion does so, and is therefore appropriate for the school setting.”