Killjoys cancelling Halloween--is this the new normal?

[Anonymous]

We won't have events at our school, but kids can come to school in costume.

[Anonymous]

Any costume your kid wants to be can be connected to a book. Even a power ranger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any costume your kid wants to be can be connected to a book. Even a power ranger.

What about Fifty Shades of Gray? That’s a book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s the anti-culture wars. Apparently we aren’t allowed to have a dominant culture anymore because of equity. I don’t think the woke left realizes there will be nothing left to bring people together if all we do is cancel everything.

Huh, so my schools in rural NC that didn't celebrate Halloween because of all the Christians who objected were part of the "woke left"? They'll be surprised to hear that

My Christian neighbor did not allow me to show Harry Potter to his kids on a sleepover because of "Magic and Witches". I am non-Christian immigrant. I embrace and participate in my own culture and American culture wholeheartedly. It is the right wing fundamentalists who throw a fit when things don't fit their viewpoint.

I am the room parent who will organize the Fall Festival parties (instead of calling it Halloween) in school because the school will be in trouble if the teachers organize anything. I also organize costume making parties for kids so that no one need to spend any money. And yes, usually the costumes are all the characters from favorite books because I don't want kids to dress up as celebrities, magic things, reality TV stars or GOD FORBID - any religious figure from any religion.

In trouble with who? MCPS?

With hardcore Christian parents who are anti-Halloween. They consider it a pagan holiday and believes that the kids should not be exposed to the idea that other magical beings (ghosts, witches, vampires) that exist, because that will shake their faith from Jesus, Holy Ghost, and God.

Is it just religious Christians or jehovahs witnesses who object to Halloween? Do Muslims object too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They call it equity but it's BS. It's when well-meaning people decide to speak for the "marginalized" instead of actually giving them a voice. Very few, if any, of the non-celebrants' families object to OTHERS celebrating Halloween. But it's a lot easier to make them the scapegoats than to dismantle the barriers to their participation in school level decisions and include them in that arena.

This. I’m sure many of the families who are considered marginalized or receive FARMS would enjoy a Halloween parade. We need to stop speaking for everyone and assuming we know what’s best for everyone.

[Anonymous]

My kid’s ES did a fall festival instead, and that was over 10 years ago. They wore their Halloween T-shirts to school, did some fun fall activities, then came home and put on their costumes and went trick or treating.

Guarantee my HSer is suffering no lasting effects from this childhood trauma.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s the anti-culture wars. Apparently we aren’t allowed to have a dominant culture anymore because of equity. I don’t think the woke left realizes there will be nothing left to bring people together if all we do is cancel everything.

Huh, so my schools in rural NC that didn't celebrate Halloween because of all the Christians who objected were part of the "woke left"? They'll be surprised to hear that

Ha. But this raises a good point. It's a problem to cancel it because of the Christians for the same reason it's a problem to cancel it because of the woke left. I just posted this in the other thread on this but pasting here as well:

As someone who is VERY concerned about equity, this cancelling Halloween business really pisses me off. It gives actual, important equity measures a bad name while eliminating one of the few remaining, old-fashioned joys of American childhood.

If there's an actual concern about equity, I would recommend that the kids be allowed to make costumes in school as part of art class OR that the PTA send around a note encouraging home made costumes and providing some helpful links to things that can be made from simple articles in the home OR that the school counselor host a halloween closet (as they sometimes do for food or winter coats) to which families can donate costumes and kids in need of costumes can come pick one out, on the DL if they prefer.

As for the religion question: The fact that some people have a religious issue with Halloween doesn't mean it should be cancelled for everyone, full stop. Doing so creates a very troubling precedent. Halloween as it's practiced today is simply not a religious holiday, full stop. I realize that it may still be a bridge too far for some people who have extreme religious beliefs, and it's absolutely appropriate that they be allowed to sit out things that make them uncomfortable. It is NOT appropriate for there discomfort to lead to the cancellation of those things for everyone else. I don't care if we're talking about sex ed, or the teaching of evolution, or, yes, Halloween. We simply cannot be a thriving, vital, pluralistic democracy if we put an end to everything that someone has a problem with.

Kind of like atheists' discomfort caused the cancellation of Christmas activities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s the anti-culture wars. Apparently we aren’t allowed to have a dominant culture anymore because of equity. I don’t think the woke left realizes there will be nothing left to bring people together if all we do is cancel everything.

Huh, so my schools in rural NC that didn't celebrate Halloween because of all the Christians who objected were part of the "woke left"? They'll be surprised to hear that

My Christian neighbor did not allow me to show Harry Potter to his kids on a sleepover because of "Magic and Witches". I am non-Christian immigrant. I embrace and participate in my own culture and American culture wholeheartedly. It is the right wing fundamentalists who throw a fit when things don't fit their viewpoint.

I am the room parent who will organize the Fall Festival parties (instead of calling it Halloween) in school because the school will be in trouble if the teachers organize anything. I also organize costume making parties for kids so that no one need to spend any money. And yes, usually the costumes are all the characters from favorite books because I don't want kids to dress up as celebrities, magic things, reality TV stars or GOD FORBID - any religious figure from any religion.

In trouble with who? MCPS?

With hardcore Christian parents who are anti-Halloween. They consider it a pagan holiday and believes that the kids should not be exposed to the idea that other magical beings (ghosts, witches, vampires) that exist, because that will shake their faith from Jesus, Holy Ghost, and God.

You are delusional if you think these parents are the reason Halloween is being cancelled in public schools. People like this homeschool their kids using special Christian curricula they buy online. They NEVER send their kids to public school.

[Anonymous]

"dress like your favorite book character day"

We did this in 1970. This is what our elementary school did (though we did have a parade!) Point is, we survived. Halloween as you know it, survived.

(and got way scarier). Celebrate as you want at home, Op.

[Anonymous]

My ES is doing a fall festival with crafts and the kids get to wear their pajamas to school. Sounds like fun to me! My daughter is pretty excited.

I am fine with this. Schools are cutting back on stuff they used to do - like celebrate Christmas, birthdays in class, etc. Let the schools do the educating and I can take my child trick or treating.

[Anonymous]

yeah .. making Halloween *not* scary in public school is not a new thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s not equity like the poors don’t want it. It’s equity like some Christians and Jehovah’s Witness dont want it.

Equity is the wrong word here.

This

[Anonymous]

Halloween starts at about 7 p.m. on October 31 and any kid who wants to participate can. That’s Halloween. That’s The Thing. There don’t need to be class parties and Trunk or Treats and 15 other Things.

The Thing is The Thing. Go do The Thing. You don’t need extra add-ons. Literally no one is stopping you and your kids from going out to celebrate Halloween night on…wait for it…Halloween night!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My street no longer has any kids. No ToT in our neck of the woods.

What a lonely neighborhood to raise a child in.

Wut? You are so weird.

We all were young parents when we moved into this new subdivision 25-30 years ago. Our kids grew up here with their friends and all of them grew up and moved out for other opportunities once they fledged. Most of the original homeowners have continued to live here because it is a lovely neighborhood and very convenient - especially to age in place.

While it is now becoming more like a 50+ community, we have a very active and social neighborhood. Yes, no small kids though. Mainly a handful of HSers who are left. While some single and married adult kids did move back during the pandemic because they fled their one room condos in DC and NY for the comforts of home, swimming pools and open backyards of their parents homes, none of us plans to leave here because we would never be able to afford to buy these homes today in DMV's crazy real estate market. Our kids also remain in this area due to employment opportunities, so no way we are leaving.

[Anonymous]

Our school has always said "story book characters" and kids have always worn exactly whatever they wanted. Guess what? Dracula is a book. Even the Minecraft characters are in books. They are certainly books about zombie cheerleaders, if that's what you want to be. But most of the kids are Disney characters (all have books), Harry Potter characters (that one's obvious), firefighters, astronauts, etc. In addition to those, mine have been characters from Greek mythology, ninjas, fairies, Star Wars characters, and superheroes.

This sounds to me like some parent who is generally a PITA complained, and the school didn't want to deal with the blowback. This seems to me a little dangerous in that it seems to be people objecting that someone else's choice offends their religious sensibilities -- are they going to object if my kid is reading Harry Potter or books about witchcraft? If my kid is playing it at recess? What about it being available in the school library?