Teacher forced to apologise for Santa claim

A US teacher has been forced to apologise after she claimed that Santa Claus is not real in front of her whole classroom.

Leatrice Ann Eng had to call each of her seven and eight-year-old pupils' parents to say sorry after saying to the students that it was her belief that Santa Claus does not exist.

"She was wrong," Mother-of-three Irene Hoffman said.

Some parents have now dubbed Leatrice - who works at the George W. Miller Elementary School in New York - as a "real-life Scrooge".

"This whole thing is being blown out of proportion," said Hoffman. "I think we should focus on our children's education and just move on."