Santa is everywhere during the holiday season -- in front of banks, in M&Ms commercials and in almost every store ad, but some local elementary schools say he isn't at their schools.

"He's not hanging on our walls; I see snowmen, I see Christmas wreaths, I see snowflakes, but I don't think Santa is a focus at our school," Jackson's South Elementary principal Bonnie Knowlan said.

Like many other area schools, South does not have a set policy for teachers on how to handle the topic of Santa.

"I've never found that to be an issue," Knowlan said. "It's not a controversial topic at South Elementary."

Knowlan said in her years as both a teacher and an administrator she doesn't even remember the topic of Santa coming up.

But should students ask about Santa, most teachers would likely refer the student back to their parents, Knowlan said.

There isn't a policy at Scott City Elementary, either. Principal Courtney Kern just asks her teachers to use their common sense.

She said the older elementary students are usually really good about not spoiling the surprise for the younger ones.

There is no set policy regarding Santa discussions or art projects at Franklin Elementary, principal Rhonda Dunham said, but he is on their multicultural Christmas tree in their foyer.

"We talk about all of the relevant holidays around this time, so we do mention Kwanzaa and Hanukkah," Dunham said. "Santa Claus is part of the culture."

Dunham said she has overheard the children at Franklin talking about Santa and asking other children what they think Santa will bring them.

"If there is a parent that does not want us to discuss it with their children, of course we give the child something else to do," Dunham said.

Teachers and administrators at Franklin just take each situation and Santa discussion as they happen, Dunham said.

"I think we play it by ear and take it one step at a time," Dunham said.

First-graders in Debbie Harris' class practiced their letter writing and paragraph skills by writing a letter to Santa Claus earlier this month.

Some of the books they read in class use Santa as the main character, such as the book "How Santa Got His Job."

Students don't ask too many questions, Harris said. They are still at the age when they just believe in things.

In some art classes the students are asked to draw what they think Santa looks like, but as schools try to be more politically correct, Dunham said they do more snowflake and snowmen drawings.

Santa still exists in several homemade ornaments and colorings in classrooms at Franklin.

Central Middle School principal Frank Ellis said some of his fifth-graders who have younger brothers and sisters "play the game" to avoid spoiling it for them, but they don't have a specific policy regarding Santa discussions.

ameyer@semissourian.com

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