Killjoys cancelling Halloween--is this the new normal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y'all need to stop assuming that this is always a decision made by the right or the left or for political reasons at all. In my MCPS ES, we used to have a Halloween parade. Parents could opt their kids out if they wanted. We started having more and more kids opting out because we have a significant population that doesn't celebrate Halloween for religious reasons. But those kids need to be supervised and engaged, so the teachers were in a position where they had to get 70-80% of the kids in their class into costumes and through a parade, and 20% of the class to another alternate activity where they would be supervised. This became a massive PITA for the school. So, we went to a Fall Festival. Much easier. It's just logistics, based on the cummulative effects of individual family choices.

Kids seem fine with it, btw.

What religion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all need to stop assuming that this is always a decision made by the right or the left or for political reasons at all. In my MCPS ES, we used to have a Halloween parade. Parents could opt their kids out if they wanted. We started having more and more kids opting out because we have a significant population that doesn't celebrate Halloween for religious reasons. But those kids need to be supervised and engaged, so the teachers were in a position where they had to get 70-80% of the kids in their class into costumes and through a parade, and 20% of the class to another alternate activity where they would be supervised. This became a massive PITA for the school. So, we went to a Fall Festival. Much easier. It's just logistics, based on the cummulative effects of individual family choices.

Kids seem fine with it, btw.

What religion?

I haven't asked, but I assume Seventh Day Adventist.

[Anonymous]

Also, with low staffing and visitors limited in building, it will fall on the teacher to arrange everything for their class. Normally there is a room parent or two helping out and running the parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Life did seem more free spirited when I was a kid.

I'm guessing you didn't grow up somewhere with Christian Dominionists controlling local/state politics. I grew up in a deeply Red county, and not only did we not have Halloween in schools, there was also no support from local government. No Truck or Treats at the library, no dress-up parades through the neighbohood, no extended street lights on Halloween. So, we had conservatives controlling school and private life.

Yes, I lived in Georgia and it was pretty much this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all need to stop assuming that this is always a decision made by the right or the left or for political reasons at all. In my MCPS ES, we used to have a Halloween parade. Parents could opt their kids out if they wanted. We started having more and more kids opting out because we have a significant population that doesn't celebrate Halloween for religious reasons. But those kids need to be supervised and engaged, so the teachers were in a position where they had to get 70-80% of the kids in their class into costumes and through a parade, and 20% of the class to another alternate activity where they would be supervised. This became a massive PITA for the school. So, we went to a Fall Festival. Much easier. It's just logistics, based on the cummulative effects of individual family choices.

Kids seem fine with it, btw.

What religion?

I haven't asked, but I assume Seventh Day Adventist.

Yes. My experience is that opposing Halloween in school is a wide coalition. Evangelical Christians, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, some observant Jews, some observant Muslims, some Catholics. But the only groups here with political power and the desire to turn this into a "culture war" issue are the Evangelicals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all need to stop assuming that this is always a decision made by the right or the left or for political reasons at all. In my MCPS ES, we used to have a Halloween parade. Parents could opt their kids out if they wanted. We started having more and more kids opting out because we have a significant population that doesn't celebrate Halloween for religious reasons. But those kids need to be supervised and engaged, so the teachers were in a position where they had to get 70-80% of the kids in their class into costumes and through a parade, and 20% of the class to another alternate activity where they would be supervised. This became a massive PITA for the school. So, we went to a Fall Festival. Much easier. It's just logistics, based on the cummulative effects of individual family choices.

Kids seem fine with it, btw.

What religion?

I haven't asked, but I assume Seventh Day Adventist.

Yes. My experience is that opposing Halloween in school is a wide coalition. Evangelical Christians, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, some observant Jews, some observant Muslims, some Catholics. But the only groups here with political power and the desire to turn this into a "culture war" issue are the Evangelicals.

PP you're responding to - I think it's important to point out that the families in my school weren't "opposing" Halloween. They weren't asking the school to stop doing it. They just opted out. The numbers became untenable, so the school chose to switch to a Fall Festival. I'm fine with how it went down - the school should be responsive in this way to its community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all need to stop assuming that this is always a decision made by the right or the left or for political reasons at all. In my MCPS ES, we used to have a Halloween parade. Parents could opt their kids out if they wanted. We started having more and more kids opting out because we have a significant population that doesn't celebrate Halloween for religious reasons. But those kids need to be supervised and engaged, so the teachers were in a position where they had to get 70-80% of the kids in their class into costumes and through a parade, and 20% of the class to another alternate activity where they would be supervised. This became a massive PITA for the school. So, we went to a Fall Festival. Much easier. It's just logistics, based on the cummulative effects of individual family choices.

Kids seem fine with it, btw.

What religion?

I haven't asked, but I assume Seventh Day Adventist.

Yes. My experience is that opposing Halloween in school is a wide coalition. Evangelical Christians, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, some observant Jews, some observant Muslims, some Catholics. But the only groups here with political power and the desire to turn this into a "culture war" issue are the Evangelicals.

PP you're responding to - I think it's important to point out that the families in my school weren't "opposing" Halloween. They weren't asking the school to stop doing it. They just opted out. The numbers became untenable, so the school chose to switch to a Fall Festival. I'm fine with how it went down - the school should be responsive in this way to its community.

Got it. I'm probably projecting from my childhood, when Evangelicals were actively shutting down anything that even hinted at Halloween in schools. It makes sense that, in MoCo, where the groups who do not celebrate Halloween are not the majority, that they would just opt out rather than actively taking over the school board to change the policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

Dressing up can be as simple as you make it. Pin on a piece of red paper cut into a lightening bolt on a red t-shirt, get a tube of red face paint at the dollar store and paint a “mask” on. The kid is “Flash”. Get a white sheet at goodwill, cut some holes for eyes, you gave a ghost.
It takes creativity but not lots of money.
I think it is absolutely awful to cancel Halloween.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

Dressing up can be as simple as you make it. Pin on a piece of red paper cut into a lightening bolt on a red t-shirt, get a tube of red face paint at the dollar store and paint a “mask” on. The kid is “Flash”. Get a white sheet at goodwill, cut some holes for eyes, you gave a ghost.
It takes creativity but not lots of money.
I think it is absolutely awful to cancel Halloween.

Good news! Halloween is not canceled! Except maybe by the trunk-or-treat people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

Dressing up can be as simple as you make it. Pin on a piece of red paper cut into a lightening bolt on a red t-shirt, get a tube of red face paint at the dollar store and paint a “mask” on. The kid is “Flash”. Get a white sheet at goodwill, cut some holes for eyes, you gave a ghost.
It takes creativity but not lots of money.
I think it is absolutely awful to cancel Halloween.

No one is cancelling Halloween. Although I think you should definitely ask kids how it feels to show up in a handmade costume when all your friends are wearing store-bought.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

What about pajama day? I never understood how that was equitable. PJs are optional, kids can sleep in their clothes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

Cut up a garbage bag and decorate it(or not). Shaq went one year as a tree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

What about pajama day? I never understood how that was equitable. PJs are optional, kids can sleep in their clothes.

A lot of schools eliminated this —also under pressure from fundamentalists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

Dressing up can be as simple as you make it. Pin on a piece of red paper cut into a lightening bolt on a red t-shirt, get a tube of red face paint at the dollar store and paint a “mask” on. The kid is “Flash”. Get a white sheet at goodwill, cut some holes for eyes, you gave a ghost.
It takes creativity but not lots of money.
I think it is absolutely awful to cancel Halloween.

We all realize that low SES families have a hard time finding the time.to be involved in school-type activities due to bigger priorities. So how is a parent who cant make it to back to school night or help with homework find the time to help make a costume?
And what child wants to go to school wearing a thrown together, bare budget costume when their classmates have nice store bought costumes? I have volunteered for many Halloween elem school events. They are a huge hassle for the school staff but the bigger issue is the kids who are embarrassed of their costume. Fall festival is the way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of thing drives me crazy because dressing up isn’t necessarily free. How is it equity to add one more costume request to a family budget?

What about pajama day? I never understood how that was equitable. PJs are optional, kids can sleep in their clothes.

A lot of schools eliminated this —also under pressure from fundamentalists.

why are you blaming fundamentalists when you probably dont really know why pajama day was cancelled?
I can tell you why our school cancelled it. Not all kids have nice pajamas that they would feel good about wearing out of the house.