Our elementary school canceled Halloween

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:* in liberal MoCo.

Although moco may lean left, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of right-wing radicals. Just read this board for a few days, and you'll see what I mean. For example, there are posts by anti-maskers and people who want to overturn the board of election over some minor program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:* in liberal MoCo.

Although moco may lean left, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of right-wing radicals. Just read this board for a few days, and you'll see what I mean. For example, there are posts by anti-maskers and people who want to overturn the board of election over some minor program.

Lean left?

MoCo doesn't lean left. It's completely fallen over face-first nose-dive left.

What you call right-wing radicals are just moderate everyday people in the rest of the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, and I no longer have kids in elementary. I just think it is sad to cancel Halloween when it is a long standing fun tradition in the county. I grew up with an MCPS elementary school behind my house and loved the days when I was older and saw the parades. If it wasn’t such a long tradition I might feel differently.

Once again for the slow people in the back, that did not happen.

That is EXACTLY what happened. MCPS elementary schools often had fun Halloween parades on the black top. Now, those parades are banned.

That doesn't cancel Halloween.

MCPS did since it's a religious school district now.

Will your porch light be on Oct 31? Will you welcome kids demanding candy? Voila! Halloween is not cancelled.

I understand that it continues to be confusing for some posters here...but this is the "MCPS" board, not the "Real Estate" board.

What's confusing is that some people think Halloween celebrations at school are some sort of Important American Tradition, and that a principal deciding not to take time away from the school day to have parties or parades is destroying the community. Things change. Celebrate all you want in your home and neighborhood. Move on.

You move on. We like our traditions. Traditions hold communities together.

Our neighborhood has had a small Halloween parade for several years. It's much better than having it at school, as kids (and/or adults) of all ages can be included in it together. It would be easy enough to get one started. Mention the idea on you neighborhood listserv, or post a sign on a corner.

Then we better start lobbying to stop that, because streets are for driving on, not having Halloween parades. See how that works?

I had a great time celebrating Halloween in school. So did my older kid. So did the generation before us. Leave that tradition alone -- it's worked for literally generations. It's a screaming good time for kids and creates memories that last a lifetime. It drives parents into the schools to volunteer, giving their own kids an experience they themselves had and remember fondly. Leave it alone.

My school canceled it because about 80 to 100 kids were opting out. It just doesn't make sense to create a tradition when that many families are refusing to participate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate this but it’s a uniquely stupid liberal movement. My sisters kids in Florida still get to celebrate no problem.

Agreed. My family in both TX and AZ are still allowed to celebrate Halloween and birthdays.

Our MCPS ES even got rid of birthday celebrations this year.

I'm genuinely surprised since those states are under the thrall of the Christian Taliban.

Do we know for sure it's the Christians who are against Halloween? I have the impression that it's being modified into "Fall Festival"/"book characters" or cancelled because of Muslims not liking it due to it being "pagan." If you Google "Halloween Muslims," you'll find a number of perspectives on this.
I'm not necessarily for or against having Halloween in school, just noting that it may not be the "usual crowd" who are against it, especially inibersl MoCo.

It's not just the muslims, it's the pentacostal Christians and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cut back on PE, cut back on recess, cut back on Halloween. Increase in mental health issues. Who benefits from that beside the mental health industry?

Today I learned that apparently people have mental health issues because they don't have a Halloween parade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread appears every year as if it were a new topic.

That is because MCPS didn’t ban it at all schools all at once. It has been a slow process, so it hits different elementary schools at different years.

And it is clearly something that many parents oppose. So some parents might not be aware that this is happening at other schools, but when it finally hits their school community, they post here.

It is definitely worthy of a discussion. Some good points made in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate this but it’s a uniquely stupid liberal movement. My sisters kids in Florida still get to celebrate no problem.

Agreed. My family in both TX and AZ are still allowed to celebrate Halloween and birthdays.

Our MCPS ES even got rid of birthday celebrations this year.

I'm genuinely surprised since those states are under the thrall of the Christian Taliban.

Do we know for sure it's the Christians who are against Halloween? I have the impression that it's being modified into "Fall Festival"/"book characters" or cancelled because of Muslims not liking it due to it being "pagan." If you Google "Halloween Muslims," you'll find a number of perspectives on this.
I'm not necessarily for or against having Halloween in school, just noting that it may not be the "usual crowd" who are against it, especially inibersl MoCo.

It's not just the muslims, it's the pentacostal Christians and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians

Regardless, the county is caving to religious extremists. They come from all religions.

That’s unfortunate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate this but it’s a uniquely stupid liberal movement. My sisters kids in Florida still get to celebrate no problem.

Agreed. My family in both TX and AZ are still allowed to celebrate Halloween and birthdays.

Our MCPS ES even got rid of birthday celebrations this year.

I'm genuinely surprised since those states are under the thrall of the Christian Taliban.

Montgomery County has a more diverse population of religious fanatics. And the progressive liberals in this county are the most fanatical of them all. Out to cancel anything and everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, and I no longer have kids in elementary. I just think it is sad to cancel Halloween when it is a long standing fun tradition in the county. I grew up with an MCPS elementary school behind my house and loved the days when I was older and saw the parades. If it wasn’t such a long tradition I might feel differently.

Once again for the slow people in the back, that did not happen.

That is EXACTLY what happened. MCPS elementary schools often had fun Halloween parades on the black top. Now, those parades are banned.

That doesn't cancel Halloween.

MCPS did since it's a religious school district now.

Will your porch light be on Oct 31? Will you welcome kids demanding candy? Voila! Halloween is not cancelled.

I understand that it continues to be confusing for some posters here...but this is the "MCPS" board, not the "Real Estate" board.

What's confusing is that some people think Halloween celebrations at school are some sort of Important American Tradition, and that a principal deciding not to take time away from the school day to have parties or parades is destroying the community. Things change. Celebrate all you want in your home and neighborhood. Move on.

You move on. We like our traditions. Traditions hold communities together.

Our neighborhood has had a small Halloween parade for several years. It's much better than having it at school, as kids (and/or adults) of all ages can be included in it together. It would be easy enough to get one started. Mention the idea on you neighborhood listserv, or post a sign on a corner.

Then we better start lobbying to stop that, because streets are for driving on, not having Halloween parades. See how that works?

I had a great time celebrating Halloween in school. So did my older kid. So did the generation before us. Leave that tradition alone -- it's worked for literally generations. It's a screaming good time for kids and creates memories that last a lifetime. It drives parents into the schools to volunteer, giving their own kids an experience they themselves had and remember fondly. Leave it alone.

My school canceled it because about 80 to 100 kids were opting out. It just doesn't make sense to create a tradition when that many families are refusing to participate

The school is not ‘creating’ a tradition. If the school continues to allow Halloween celebrations at school, it is continuing a uniquely American tradition that has been enjoyed by kids for decades.

Instead, the school is choosing to cater to religious families and force everyone to abandon this tradition.

Also, how large is your school? My kid’s elementary school has 700 kids. If 80-100 kids didn’t participate, there are still 600 kids who will! In other words, the schooo is taking something fun away from 600 kids, to appease the religious families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, and I no longer have kids in elementary. I just think it is sad to cancel Halloween when it is a long standing fun tradition in the county. I grew up with an MCPS elementary school behind my house and loved the days when I was older and saw the parades. If it wasn’t such a long tradition I might feel differently.

Once again for the slow people in the back, that did not happen.

That is EXACTLY what happened. MCPS elementary schools often had fun Halloween parades on the black top. Now, those parades are banned.

That doesn't cancel Halloween.

MCPS did since it's a religious school district now.

Will your porch light be on Oct 31? Will you welcome kids demanding candy? Voila! Halloween is not cancelled.

I understand that it continues to be confusing for some posters here...but this is the "MCPS" board, not the "Real Estate" board.

What's confusing is that some people think Halloween celebrations at school are some sort of Important American Tradition, and that a principal deciding not to take time away from the school day to have parties or parades is destroying the community. Things change. Celebrate all you want in your home and neighborhood. Move on.

You move on. We like our traditions. Traditions hold communities together.

Our neighborhood has had a small Halloween parade for several years. It's much better than having it at school, as kids (and/or adults) of all ages can be included in it together. It would be easy enough to get one started. Mention the idea on you neighborhood listserv, or post a sign on a corner.

Then we better start lobbying to stop that, because streets are for driving on, not having Halloween parades. See how that works?

I had a great time celebrating Halloween in school. So did my older kid. So did the generation before us. Leave that tradition alone -- it's worked for literally generations. It's a screaming good time for kids and creates memories that last a lifetime. It drives parents into the schools to volunteer, giving their own kids an experience they themselves had and remember fondly. Leave it alone.

My school canceled it because about 80 to 100 kids were opting out. It just doesn't make sense to create a tradition when that many families are refusing to participate

The school is not ‘creating’ a tradition. If the school continues to allow Halloween celebrations at school, it is continuing a uniquely American tradition that has been enjoyed by kids for decades.

Instead, the school is choosing to cater to religious families and force everyone to abandon this tradition.

Also, how large is your school? My kid’s elementary school has 700 kids. If 80-100 kids didn’t participate, there are still 600 kids who will! In other words, the schooo is taking something fun away from 600 kids, to appease the religious families?

I don't think that Halloween celebrations at school are really a "uniquely American tradition." They may be a tradition at that school, or in MCPS generally, but many schools in the US do not have this as a tradition. The "een" part of Halloween means evening, eve, night, etc. It's not a daytime tradition for a lot of us at all, so there's no importance to have school-run events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:* in liberal MoCo.

Although moco may lean left, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of right-wing radicals. Just read this board for a few days, and you'll see what I mean. For example, there are posts by anti-maskers and people who want to overturn the board of election over some minor program.

Lean left?

MoCo doesn't lean left. It's completely fallen over face-first nose-dive left.

What you call right-wing radicals are just moderate everyday people in the rest of the country.

THIS!

Anti-maskers? Please, at this point, anyone pushing for mask mandates for kids in school is anti-science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:* in liberal MoCo.

Although moco may lean left, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of right-wing radicals. Just read this board for a few days, and you'll see what I mean. For example, there are posts by anti-maskers and people who want to overturn the board of election over some minor program.

Lean left?

MoCo doesn't lean left. It's completely fallen over face-first nose-dive left.

What you call right-wing radicals are just moderate everyday people in the rest of the country.

THIS!

Anti-maskers? Please, at this point, anyone pushing for mask mandates for kids in school is anti-science.

Nice non sequitur there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:* in liberal MoCo.

Although moco may lean left, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of right-wing radicals. Just read this board for a few days, and you'll see what I mean. For example, there are posts by anti-maskers and people who want to overturn the board of election over some minor program.

Lean left?

MoCo doesn't lean left. It's completely fallen over face-first nose-dive left.

What you call right-wing radicals are just moderate everyday people in the rest of the country.

THIS!

Anti-maskers? Please, at this point, anyone pushing for mask mandates for kids in school is anti-science.

Nice non sequitur there.

Did you actually read the PP? Talking about posts by right wing radicals who are anti-maskers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven’t read this whole thread, and I no longer have kids in elementary. I just think it is sad to cancel Halloween when it is a long standing fun tradition in the county. I grew up with an MCPS elementary school behind my house and loved the days when I was older and saw the parades. If it wasn’t such a long tradition I might feel differently.

Once again for the slow people in the back, that did not happen.

That is EXACTLY what happened. MCPS elementary schools often had fun Halloween parades on the black top. Now, those parades are banned.

That doesn't cancel Halloween.

MCPS did since it's a religious school district now.

Will your porch light be on Oct 31? Will you welcome kids demanding candy? Voila! Halloween is not cancelled.

I understand that it continues to be confusing for some posters here...but this is the "MCPS" board, not the "Real Estate" board.

What's confusing is that some people think Halloween celebrations at school are some sort of Important American Tradition, and that a principal deciding not to take time away from the school day to have parties or parades is destroying the community. Things change. Celebrate all you want in your home and neighborhood. Move on.

You move on. We like our traditions. Traditions hold communities together.

Our neighborhood has had a small Halloween parade for several years. It's much better than having it at school, as kids (and/or adults) of all ages can be included in it together. It would be easy enough to get one started. Mention the idea on you neighborhood listserv, or post a sign on a corner.

Then we better start lobbying to stop that, because streets are for driving on, not having Halloween parades. See how that works?

I had a great time celebrating Halloween in school. So did my older kid. So did the generation before us. Leave that tradition alone -- it's worked for literally generations. It's a screaming good time for kids and creates memories that last a lifetime. It drives parents into the schools to volunteer, giving their own kids an experience they themselves had and remember fondly. Leave it alone.

My school canceled it because about 80 to 100 kids were opting out. It just doesn't make sense to create a tradition when that many families are refusing to participate

The school is not ‘creating’ a tradition. If the school continues to allow Halloween celebrations at school, it is continuing a uniquely American tradition that has been enjoyed by kids for decades.

Instead, the school is choosing to cater to religious families and force everyone to abandon this tradition.

Also, how large is your school? My kid’s elementary school has 700 kids. If 80-100 kids didn’t participate, there are still 600 kids who will! In other words, the schooo is taking something fun away from 600 kids, to appease the religious families?

With the pandemic, our ES hasn't had this tradition since 2019, so it seems like a reasonable time to determine whether it's worth bringing back. Our daycare never had Halloween celebrations although they would have a costume dressup day as part of spirit week. From what our principal said, there are a large number of kids who wouldn't participate.

Although I know my kids would enjoy a Halloween celebration at school, I can't get worked up about it one way or another. Was just listening to a segment on NPR about book bans and for all of MoCo/MCPS' faults, I was feeling thankful to not have that problem here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate this but it’s a uniquely stupid liberal movement. My sisters kids in Florida still get to celebrate no problem.

Agreed. My family in both TX and AZ are still allowed to celebrate Halloween and birthdays.

Our MCPS ES even got rid of birthday celebrations this year.

I'm genuinely surprised since those states are under the thrall of the Christian Taliban.

Montgomery County has a more diverse population of religious fanatics. And the progressive liberals in this county are the most fanatical of them all. Out to cancel anything and everything.

False, right-wing extremists have long been aligned with the Christian right.