Backlash as Sydney schools remove word ‘Easter’ from hat parades

Controversy has surrounded the decision by several New South Wales schools to remove the word "Easter" from hat parades and other events.

Schools in Batemans Bay and Abbotsford reportedly removed references to Easter this year, instead calling the traditional event a "happy hat parade" and a "crazy hat day".

The move has prompted backlash from some parents, who have accused the schools of giving in to political correctness, the Daily Telegraph reported.

"How pathetic," one mother posted on Facebook.

"I will make sure my hats say HAPPY EASTER all over the damn hats and get my kids to sing Easter bunny songs," she wrote.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly also took to social media to criticise the changes.

"Little by little we’ve become too frightened to stand-up for Western democratic traditions and values, scared that we’ll offend political correctness," he wrote in a scathing Facebook post.

"If we are to build a tolerant and inclusive society, we don’t ban our traditions – we share them."

Several schools on the NSW North Coast also dropped references to Easter in their celebrations but reportedly backtracked after consulting local Indian Sikh community members.