Elementary School cancels Halloween after threats from "Some" Parents...

[insein]

Of course its Boston. If not their it'd be San Fran or Seattle. Fucking pussy-ass principal.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma.../28/student_ghosts_unmasked_in_newton?mode=PF

Student ghosts unmasked in Newton
Primary school cancels Halloween celebration
By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | October 28, 2005

NEWTON -- When students at Underwood Elementary School walk to their classrooms on Monday, there will be no witches, SpongeBob SquarePants, or Johnny Damons there to greet them.

No skeleton paintings or Frankenstein tattoos, either.

The school's principal said yesterday he acceded to the complaints of a handful of parents who said that because the school's traditional Halloween celebrations offended their religious beliefs, they would not send their children to school if the revelry continued this year.

''Not everyone is going to agree with the decision, and I really understand that," said principal David Castelline, , who last year grew a beard and dressed up as Johnny Damon. ''But I felt the goal was really important to make it a respectful and open and welcoming place for all members of our community."

Castelline, who met yesterday with the Parent Teacher Organization to explain his decision, said three teachers told him they had children in their classes who were not going to come to school if the Halloween celebration was held. The celebration, which has been going on for at least 14 years, involves teachers dressing up and lining the hallways and children making Halloween-related arts and crafts.

''When I hear that kids won't come to school because of what we're doing on Halloween, I have a problem with that," Castelline said.

Of nearly a dozen parents interviewed outside the school yesterday, none supported the decision to cancel the celebration. Several parents said they are considering staging a protest by donning costumes on Monday and standing in front of the school.

''If they can cancel Halloween, what about Columbus Day and Valentines Day? We get Jewish holidays and Christmas off, so what's next?" asked Andrea Newman, whose two sons attend the school. ''All it takes is one person to be offended, and our school will ban it."

Castelline said the school instead planned to hold a ''celebration of fall" next Friday. Later in the year, he said, the school plans a costume celebration in which teachers and perhaps students will be encouraged to dress as their favorite literary characters.

No one in Massachusetts is tracking Halloween school celebrations, said a spokeswoman for the state Department of Education, so it is difficult to track how many schools forgo the holiday.

Joel Packer, spokesman for the National Education Association, said the controversy is part of a contentious nationwide trend in which schools are trying to shorten or cancel holiday celebrations, either for religious reasons or to put more time into classroom work. Halloween is one of the few holidays that can fall when children are in school, he said, which puts school districts more on the spot.

A recent survey issued by a shopping mall management company found that 23 percent of Americans planned to take part in a school Halloween party this year.

Wilhelmina Ripple --author of several holiday books, including ''Halloween School Parties: What Do I Do?" --said school districts nationwide are changing the name of parties to make the celebrations more palatable for those who want to avoid having school-endorsed ghouls and goblins.

Parents interviewed yesterday said they didn't mind not being able to celebrate the holiday, but they complained that it was political correctness run amok, particularly at a school where one-fifth of the student body is nonwhite and the website is in both English and Chinese.

''The beauty of having diversity is to celebrate different cultures and holidays," said Renee Levin. ,

''It's not good," said her 7-year-old son, Jake, who is planning to dress up as a Ninja and go trick-or-treating after school. ''Last year we got a Halloween party and it was really fun."

WTF is wrong with people? If you don't want your kids to be a part of it then don't send them to school. Don't threaten the principal that your not sending your kids to school because you feel offended. And WTF is wrong with this principal? Have some balls. My god. So 3 students don't show up for school on 1 day of the year. You know how many parents just let their kids take a day off for the hell of it during the school year? And what about the hundreds of offended parents that are pissed off that the party is canceled now? Don't their voices matter?

Its stuff like this that makes my head feel like exploding.

 

[dmp]

stories like these used to outrage me. Now, they annoy me. Few people have the moral backbone to stand up to the Politically Correct.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

stories like these used to outrage me. Now, they annoy me. Few people have the moral backbone to stand up to the Politically Correct.

Your avatar makes me wet.

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

Your avatar makes me wet.

umm...yes, well I find it offensive. It's against my religion.
Get rid of it!

Just kidding!

 

[5stringJeff]

Of course its Boston. If not their it'd be San Fran or Seattle. Fucking pussy-ass principal.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma.../28/student_ghosts_unmasked_in_newton?mode=PF



WTF is wrong with people? If you don't want your kids to be a part of it then don't send them to school. Don't threaten the principal that your not sending your kids to school because you feel offended. And WTF is wrong with this principal? Have some balls. My god. So 3 students don't show up for school on 1 day of the year. You know how many parents just let their kids take a day off for the hell of it during the school year? And what about the hundreds of offended parents that are pissed off that the party is canceled now? Don't their voices matter?

Its stuff like this that makes my head feel like exploding.

Well, I guess I'm going to be the only contrarian on this one.

School is for learning, not for showing off your Halloween costume. Wanna have a Halloween costume parade? Do it somewhere else. Most public schools suck bad enough as it is without turning Halloween into a goof-off day at school.

 

[dmp]

Well, I guess I'm going to be the only contrarian on this one.

School is for learning, not for showing off your Halloween costume. Wanna have a Halloween costume parade? Do it somewhere else. Most public schools suck bad enough as it is without turning Halloween into a goof-off day at school.

Work is for working. Somebody retiring? Have your cake party somewhere else. Most work environments are slack enough w/o turning EVERY reason possible into a 'pot-luck'.



Counting days at schools is the wrong idea. Social interactions are important to the learning process...

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

Well, I guess I'm going to be the only contrarian on this one.

School is for learning, not for showing off your Halloween costume. Wanna have a Halloween costume parade? Do it somewhere else. Most public schools suck bad enough as it is without turning Halloween into a goof-off day at school.

Hey, if it's the one day that you can get your kid excited to be at school,
so be it. Maybe we should remove our kids from school on Halloween, unless
they get to celebrate it there.

 

[JOKER96BRAVO]

It really doesn't bother me that there are people like this in the world,
It bothers me that we are forced to go to such extreme measures to please
them. You can't make everyone happy, why not try to please the majority.

Why don't they release a Holiday schedule at enrolment?
If the parents see something they don't like, take em somewhere else.

 

[5stringJeff]

Work is for working. Somebody retiring? Have your cake party somewhere else. Most work environments are slack enough w/o turning EVERY reason possible into a 'pot-luck'.

Touche!

Counting days at schools is the wrong idea. Social interactions are important to the learning process...

Social interactions occur all day at school. My daughter gets two recesses. Plus they do group work. And if counting the days at school is wrong, then every state legislature is doing it wrong.

 

[5stringJeff]

It really doesn't bother me that there are people like this in the world,
It bothers me that we are forced to go to such extreme measures to please
them. You can't make everyone happy, why not try to please the majority.

Why don't they release a Holiday schedule at enrolment?
If the parents see something they don't like, take em somewhere else.

I agree with that. Two days before Halloween is the wrong time to tell everyone "no Halloween costumes."

 

[Nienna]

As a Christian mom, I can understand the objections to Halloween. It does tend to glorify evil/violence/sex. Even a non-Christian should want to discourage these things in school. Like I said in the other thread, why not simply put restrictions on costumes, like no blood, guts, or belly buttons?

Christians are not supposed to be "of this world," but we still have to live IN this world. I can see why those parents wouldn't want their kids involved with Halloween, but I think they should have targeted what is actually wrong with the scenario... the evil, not the parade.

 

[Trigg]

At my childrens school they have a halloween party. The kids are allowed to dress up, just not as anything scary, no ghouls, witches, skeletens. Basically cartoon characters and things like that.

As far as I see it halloween in school in no different than a party for valentines day. Ya, it's a goof off day, but so what. The kids are happy to go to school that day and have something different to do.

 

[manu1959]

As a Christian mom, I can understand the objections to Halloween. It does tend to glorify evil/violence/sex. Even a non-Christian should want to discourage these things in school. Like I said in the other thread, why not simply put restrictions on costumes, like no blood, guts, or belly buttons?

Christians are not supposed to be "of this world," but we still have to live IN this world. I can see why those parents wouldn't want their kids involved with Halloween, but I think they should have targeted what is actually wrong with the scenario... the evil, not the parade.

give me a break...halloween is about candy....my god we have become the most over protective bunch of pussies on the planet...no wonder the world takes shots at us

 

[dilloduck]

I guess it's time for Offended Annonynous. Secularists are offended by religion and religious folks are offended by pagans. These 2 groups HAVE to learn to live with each other.

I will say for the millionth time--You always don't get everything to happen the way you want it to. QUIT TRYING!!!!!!!

 

[Trigg]

give me a break...halloween is about candy....my god we have become the most over protective bunch of pussies on the planet...no wonder the world takes shots at us

I agree, kids see it strictly as a free candy day.

 

[dilloduck]

give me a break...halloween is about candy....my god we have become the most over protective bunch of pussies on the planet...no wonder the world takes shots at us

GARBAGE--we are the most selfish damn country on the planet.

 

[manu1959]

GARBAGE--we are the most selfish damn country on the planet.

ok selfish pussies then

 

[Annie]

Well, I guess I'm going to be the only contrarian on this one.

School is for learning, not for showing off your Halloween costume. Wanna have a Halloween costume parade? Do it somewhere else. Most public schools suck bad enough as it is without turning Halloween into a goof-off day at school.

Nope, I'm with you on this one. When my oldest was in kindergarten at the local public school, about 19 years ago, only the kindergarten was allowed to dress up and 'parade' at the end of the day. All the other kids had a regular day-except for watching the kindergarteners prior to lunch. There was plenty of time for trick or treating, costumes, parties after 3.

Monday at 'my school' only the preschoolers get to wear costumes, (just like the public schools, there are no 'blood'/violence ones allowed. Skeletons and regular 'scary' is ok-just not 'realistic'. The lines are drawn, if parent tries to overstep, the 'bad' part of costumes are removed.) It's a 'half-day' because of teacher institute, at 9:30 a 'story teller' comes in for an assembly. The kids are dismissed at 11 to do what the parents wish.